current affairs monthly capsule i current affairs weekly ... · dost education bagged tech prize...

Current Affairs Monthly Capsule I

April 2019 Current Affairs Weekly Capsule I 9thto 15th

September 2018

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April 2019 Current Affairs Weekly Capsule I 9thto 15th

September 2018

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Table of Contents

Awards &Honours .................................................................................................................................................. 3

Days & Events ......................................................................................................................................................... 6

International Affairs ............................................................................................................................................... 9

Personalities in News ........................................................................................................................................... 16

Government Policies & Schemes .......................................................................................................................... 18

Science & Technology ........................................................................................................................................... 19

Committees & Recommendations ....................................................................................................................... 23

Business & Economy ............................................................................................................................................. 24

Sports .................................................................................................................................................................... 34

Defence ................................................................................................................................................................. 39

Polity ..................................................................................................................................................................... 44

National Affairs ..................................................................................................................................................... 44

Environment ......................................................................................................................................................... 52


April 2019 Current Affairs Weekly Capsule I 23rdto 29th

September 2018 Current Affairs Weekly Capsule I 16thto 22nd

September 2018 Current Affairs Weekly Capsule I 19th to 25th

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Awards &Honours

Jacques received Ikhamanga Award 2019

Jacques Kallis was honoured with the Order of Ikhamanga in the Silver Division.

The national honour is bestowed by the President of South Africa on citizens who have made significant contributions to arts, literature, music, journalism, culture, and sports.

He was rewarded for his successful cricket career.

He played 166 Tests, 328 ODIs and 25 T20Is, returning 62 hundreds and 577 wickets.

Helen get Deenanath Mangeshkar Award

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, scriptwriter Salim Khan, and Helen were honoured with the prestigious Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Award on 25 April 2019.

The award has been instituted by Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Smruti Pratishthan, a charitable trust.

The award is given to legends from the fields of music, drama, art and social work.

Cyril Almeida won IPI's award 2019

Dawn editor and Columnist Cyril Almeida from Pakistan won the IPI’s (International Press Institute) World Press Freedom Hero award in 2019.

He was awarded for his critical and tenacious coverage of the civil-military relations in Pakistan.

Mada Masr, an Egyptian news site, has won Free Media Pioneer Award 2019 of the IPI and International Media Support (IMS).

Rana Dasgupta won Literary prize

Author Rana Dasgupta was awarded the Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize 2019 for his 2010 novel Solo.

It is the second edition of the Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize.

The Prize aims to revive poetry and books that can change lives.

The prize consists of an amount of $10,000, a Tagore statue and a certificate for contribution to literature will be given to the awardee.

Goswami received best sportsperson award

Jhulan Goswami, world's leading wicket-taker in women's one-day internationals, was awarded the Best Sportsperson' award by the Calcutta Sports Journalists' Club.

Sambaran Banerjee and former India winger Sukumar Samajpati won the Lifetime Achievement awards.

Promising Sportsperson of the Year was given to Neelash Saha.

Best footballer was given to Pritam Kotal.

WB Govt's scheme won UN award

West Bengal government's 'Utkarsh Bangla' scheme was awarded the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) award of the United Nations.

Out of 1062 nominations in 18 categories from all over the world, #UtkarshBangla emerged No 1 in the Capacity Building category.

The WB government had received another UN award in 2017 for its 'Kanyashree' project.

AIR receive Swacchta Pakhwada Award 2019

All India Radio, Publication Division and Children's Film Society of India were given Swacchta Pakhwada Awards-2019 in New Delhi on 23 April 2019.

Secretary in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry Amit Khare gave away the awards.

Director General of All India Radio F. Sheheryar and Director General (News) Ms. Ira Joshi received the Award for All India Radio.

KAU IPR Cell won National IP Award 2019

The Intellectual Property Rights Cell (IPR Cell) of Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) has been selected for the National Intellectual Property Award 2019.

The award, comprising a prize money of ₹1 lakh, will be presented at in New Delhi on World IP Day on April 26, 2019.

It is conferred on persons and organisations working in the field of patents, trademarks, and Geographical Indications.

Benny Antony won National IP Award

Benny Antony, Joint Managing Director, Arjuna Natural Ltd, has been conferred with the National Intellectual Property Award for 2019 in the category of Top Individual for Patents and Commercialization.

Along with the National IP Award, the Intellectual Property Office India and the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) also conferred the ‘WIPO Medal for Inventors’ to Antony.

Indian-American scientist in Hall of Fame

An Indian-American scientist and social activist has been inducted into the Cleveland International Hall of fame for his contribution in applications in systems biology, global issues and sustainable development.

Prof Sree Sreenath was inducted into it, along with five other inductees Dr. Akram Boutros, Ingrida Bublys, Paul Burik, Richard Fleischman, and Marilyn Madigan.

UN honoured Indian peacekeepers

United Nations honoured 150 Indian peacekeepers serving with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) with medals of honour for their dedicated service and sacrifice.

UNMISS is working to deter violence against civilians by providing a safe and secure environment for South Sudanese people.





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UNMISS is committed to helping build durable peace in South Sudan.

Police officers awarded for writing book

A Delhi Police officer has been awarded 'Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant Award' for his book 'Samvidhan Kavya'.

Bureau of Police Research and Development gave the award to Special Commissioner of Police (Operations) Sunil Kumar Gautam for 2018-19.

The book presents the provisions of the Constitution in a simple and poetic form.

SFB awarded Clement Model 2019 Award

Fincare Small Finance Bank (SFB) has been awarded the Celent Model Bank 2019 Award in the category of Financial Inclusion, for 'Redesigning Lending to Reach Small Businesses'.

The award recognizes LAP (Loans Against Property) D.Lite, a tab-based solution designed and developed in-house by Fincare SFB.

LAP D.Lite is one of the 22 initiatives from around the world to receive this award.

Aretha Franklin's posthumous win

Aretha Franklin received the Pulitzer Prize Special Citation honor.

She became the first individual woman to earn a special citation prize since the honor was first awarded in 1930.

Franklin died on August 16, 2018, at her home in Detroit from pancreatic cancer.

NASA awarded 3 Indian teams

NASA awarded 3 teams from India as part of its annual Human Exploration Rover Challenge,

The team from KIET Group of Institutions, Uttar Pradesh, won the AIAA Neil Armstrong Best Design Award.

The Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management and Engineering, Mumbai, Maharashtra, won the Frank Joe Sexton Memorial Pit Crew Award.

A team from LPU, Punjab, won the STEM Engagement Award.

Datamatics won IMC award

Datamatics Global Services Ltd. (DGSL) won IMC Digital Technology Awards 2018 under the Excellence in Emerging Technology category for TruBot, its Robotic Process Automation product and TruAI, its AI platform.

The award ceremony was held on 12th April 2019 at St Regis, Mumbai.

The IMC Awards recognize achievements across all areas of the IT industry.

UNESCO Cano Press Freedom Prize announced

The UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize 2019 has been awarded to Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo.

The prize carries a reward of $25,000 Prize.

It recognises the exceptional courage in reporting on alleged human rights violations in Myanmar's state of Rakhine.

The award was established in 1997 and named after Guillermo Cano Isaza

Budenholzer received NBCA Coach of the Year

Budenholzer was named the 2019 recipient of the Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year honors.

He, in his first year as head coach of the Bucks, led the franchise to the top record in the entire NBA.

Budenholzer also led the Bucks to their first divisional title since the 2000-2001 season.

Digital Sukoon receives Best Digital award

Digital Sukoon founder, Sudhanshu Kumar was honoured with the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Nobel Award by International Human Rights Council on 10 April 2019.

Digital Sukoon received the Best Digital Agency of the Year 2019.

Digital Sukoon provides a comprehensive 360-degree solution to their clients for the promotional needs by creating innovative campaigns and optimum usage of technology tools..

NMCG awarded at Global Water Summit

National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) or Namami Gange was given the ‘Public Water Agency of the Year’ award by Global Water Intelligence at the Global Water Summit in London.

It is an integrated mission for Ganga rejuvenation, and was approved by the Union Government in June 2014.

Global Water Summit is the major business conference for the water industry worldwide.

PM Modi to receive Order of St Andrew

Russia will confer the Order of St Andrew the Apostle on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The award is being given for Mr. Modi’s exceptional services in promoting special and privileged strategic partnership between the Russian Federation and India.

The award is Russia’s highest state decoration.

64th Railway Week of Railway Board

The 64th Railway Week Function of Railway Board was organized in New Delhi on 13 April, 2019.

45 officials of Railway Board were presented with awards for their outstanding performances in the year 2018-19.

V K Yadav is the Chairman of Railway Board.

Siva Reddy selected for Saraswati Samman 2018





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Telugu poet K Siva Reddy has been selected for the prestigious Saraswati Samman, 2018 for his collection of poetry titled Pakkaki Ottigilite.

The award carries a cash prize of 15 lakh rupees, a citation, and a plaque.

The award, instituted by the KK Birla Foundation in 1991, is given annually for an outstanding literary work written in any Indian language, published during the last 10 years.

GIC India Chief awarded

The Chairman and Managing Director of the General Insurance Corporation (GIC) of India, Alice G Vaidyan was awarded the Freedom of the City of London.

She was awarded in recognition of her work to promote insurance ties between India and the UK.

The Freedom of the City of London dates back to the 13th century and is bestowed upon individuals who make an impact in the financial hub of London.

Image of toddler won World Press Photo

The haunting image of a little girl crying helplessly as she and her mother are taken into custody by US border officials has won the prestigious World Press Photo Award.

The picture of the wailing toddler was published worldwide and caused a public outcry about Washington's controversial policy to separate thousands of migrants from their children.

The picture was taken by John Moore.

2 Bengal government schemes won UN awards

Two schemes of the West Bengal government for skill development and distribution of bicycles to students have won the prestigious World Summit on the Information Society awards of the United Nations.

The 2 schemes are the Utkarsh Bangla and Sabooj Sathi projects for youngsters.

Dost Education bagged Tech prize

India's education tech startup 'Dost Education' bagged a $25,000 tech prize along with 2 other winners from Tanzania and Egypt.

The Next Billion Edtech Prize 2019 recognises the most innovative technology destined to have a radical impact on education in low income.

Dost was awarded for its ability to empower parents to take charge of their child's early education.

Namami Gange got global recognition

The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) was awarded the distinction of 'Public Water Agency of the Year'.

It was awarded by the Global Water Intelligence at the Global Water Summit in London on April 9, 2019.

The Global Water Awards are presented at the Global Water Summit, the major business conference for the water industry worldwide.

Indian Oil bagged AIMA award

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) bagged the prestigious 'AIMA Managing India Award 2019 for outstanding PSU of the year.'

The award was presented by former President Pranab Mukherjee to Sanjiv Singh, Chairman, Indian Oil.

The AIMA awards declared under 11 categories, shortlisted 11 eminent enterprises and personalities of the country for their contribution to nation-building.

Vice President conferred awards

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu conferred President’s Certificate of Honour and Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman Awards at New Delhi, recently.

The award of the Certificate of Honour was introduced in the year 1958 to honour the scholars of Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian Languages.

Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman was introduced in the year 2002.

Virat Kohli: Wisden's Leading Cricketer

Team India captain Virat Kohli has been named as the Wisden Almanack’s ‘Leading Cricketer of the Year’ for the third time in a row.

https://bit.ly/2mdJPmF





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He smashed 2,735 runs in 47 international innings at an average of 68.37 in 2018, including 11 hundred and 9 fifties.

Smriti Mandhana has been named the Women’s Leading Cricketer of the Year for 2018.

Neeraj and Sindhu won the ESPN award

P V Sindhu and star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra were named as female and male sportsperson of the year in the ESPN India Multi-Sport Awards for their achievements in 2018.

Neeraj was picked for the top men's award for his gold at 2018 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.

Saina Nehwal won the award for the 'Comeback of the Year' after bagging the bronze at the 2018 Asian Games.

Tata Steel gets Global Slag award

Tata Steel has been named as the 'Global Slag Company of the Year' at the 14th Global Slag Conference and Exhibition 2019.

The award was presented to Tata Steel for its innovative practices in the development of new applications for Steel by-products (Slag).

The conference was held in Germany and was attended by major steelmakers, steel mill service providers & associated companies.

Shah Rukh conferred with Honorary Doctorate

Eminent Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan conferred with an honorary doctorate in Philanthropy by the University of Law, London.

He was awarded this for his efforts to give back to society.

He has received the merit during a graduation ceremony which had more than 350 students in attendance.

Coimbatore student entered Guinness Book

Sridhar Muthukrishnan, a 2nd-year student of BSc Visual Communications entered the Guinness Book of World Records in light painting photography with 1,350 light orbs.

His work was submitted to the Guinness Book officials on February 13, 2018, and the certificate was issued in March 2019.

Vikram Patel got Global Health Award

Vikram Patel, a psychiatrist and professor of global health at Harvard Medical School, has won the prestigious John Dirks Canada Gairdner Global Health Award.

Laureates receive a $100,000 cash honorarium and will be formally presented with their awards on October 24, 2019 at the annual Canada Gairdner Awards Gala in Toronto.

UAE honoured PM Narendra Modi

UAE honoured PM Narendra Modi with its highest decoration in recognition of the 'pivotal role' played by the PM in strengthening ties between the two nations.

He was presented the Zayed Medal by the UAE President.

The Zayed Medal is the highest decoration awarded to Kings, Presidents, and heads of states.

ET Prime Women Leadership Awards 2019

GIC India's Alice Vaidyan wins ETPrime 'Woman CEO of the Year'.

Indra Nooyi wins ETPrime 'Global Indian Woman of the Year'.

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw wins ETPrime 'Business Woman of the Year'.

Anu Aga honored with ET Prime 'Lifetime Achievement' Award.

Meera Sanyal won ET Prime 'Lifetime Achievement' award posthumously.

Aarthi Subramanian gets ET Prime 'Technology Leader of the Year' award.

Days & Events

World Veterinary Day: 28 April

The World Veterinary Day is observed on 28th April.

It celebrates the contributions of veterinarians to the health of animals and society.

The theme for 2019 is Value of Vaccination.

The day was initiated by the World Veterinary Association.

World Day for Safety and Health: 28 April

World Day for Safety and Health at Work is a UN international day that is celebrated every April 28.

It is an annual international campaign to promote safe, healthy and decent work.

It has been observed by the International Labour Organization (ILO) since 2003.

International Dance Day: 29 April

April 29 is celebrated as International Dance Day annually.

It aims to bring people together with a common language - dance.

In 1982, the Dance Committee of International Theatre Institute founded International Dance Day.

The theme for 2019 is Dance and Spirituality.

Days and Events

World Day For Animals In Laboratories (WDAIL) (also known as World Lab Animal Day) is observed every year on 24 April.

International Girls in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Day was observed on 25 April 2019.





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World Immunization Week 2019 is observed from 24 to 30 April 2019 and the theme of this year's campaign is 'Protected Together: Vaccines Work!'.

National Fire Service Day observed

The Fire Service Week (FSW) was observed nation-wide from 14 to 20 April 2019.

FSW is observed under the guidance of the Fire Adviser, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

This is in remembrance of the lives lost in the devastating fire that erupted and the explosions that followed on 14 April 1944 at the Victoria Dock in the Bombay Port and also to prevent fire in all industries.

World Intellectual Property Day: 26 April

World Intellectual Property Day is observed annually on 26th April.

The theme for 2019 is Reach for Gold: IP and Sports.

The event was established by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2000.

The aim is to raise awareness of how patents, copyright, trademarks and designs impact on daily life.

National Panchayati Raj Day: 24 April

The National Panchayati Raj Day is celebrated every year in India on 24th April.

The Constitution of India recognizes Panchayats as 'Institutions of self-government'.

This day marks the passing of Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 that came into force with effect from 24 April 1993.

The first National Panchayati Raj Day was celebrated in 2010

World Malaria Day: 25 April

World Malaria Day is observed every year on 25 April, to spread awareness about malaria disease globally and to promote efforts to prevent malaria around the world.

The theme of World Malaria Day 2019 is 'Zero malaria starts with me'.

World Malaria Day was developed from Africa Malaria Day which was first held in 2008.

Int. Day of Multilat and Diplomacy for Peace

April 24 is observed as the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace every year.

It was officially approved on 12 December 2018 through resolution A/RES/73/127.

The day is a reaffirmation of the UN Charter and its principles of resolving disputes among countries through peaceful means.

World Book Day: 23 April

World Book Day is celebrated by UNESCO and other related organisations every year on the 23rd of April.

Also called the World Book and Copyright Day, it is an occasion to promote the joy of books and the art of reading.

The theme for this year is Share A Story.

World Earth Day: 22 April

World Earth Day is observed every year on 22 April.

On 22nd April 2009 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring 22nd April as the 'International Mother Earth Day'.

World Earth Day 2019 theme is ‘Protect Our Species’.

It will mainly focus on saving species which are on the verge of extinction due to climate change, deforestation, pollution and illegal poaching.

World Liver Day: 19 April

The World Liver Day (WLD) is observed every year on April 19.

The aim of the day is to build awareness and understanding the importance of liver in the human body and how liver ailments are treated.

The liver, which measures about 1,00 grams in weight and 15 cm in length, is the second largest organ and is a key player in our body’s digestive system.

World Heritage Day: 18 April

April 18 is annually observed as the International Day for Monuments and Sites (IDMS), also known as World Heritage Day.

This day is celebrated to remind the citizens about beautiful places or heritage sites in our country.

The theme for 2019 is Rural Landscapes.

The day was proposed by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) on 18 April 1982.

Mujibnagar Day observed in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, the historic Mujibnagar day is being observed on 17 April 2019.

The day marks the oath-taking ceremony of Bangladesh's first government in 1971 at Baidyanathtala in Meherpur.

The day is being observed by political parties and social and cultural organisations through various programs across Bangladesh.

World Haemophilia Day: April 17

April 17 is observed as the World Haemophilia Day every year.

It was started in 1989 by the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) which chose to bring the community together on April 17 in honour of WFH founder Frank Schnabel’s birthday.

World Hemophilia Day theme for the year 2019 is ‘Outreach and Identification’.

Important days





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National Safe Motherhood Day (NSMD) is observed annually on 11 April.

The theme of 2019 NSMD is "Midwives for Mothers".

The aim of the day is to raise awareness about the proper healthcare of women and maternity facilities to pregnant and lactating women.

International Day of Human Space Flight is observed on 12 April

World Allergy Week 2019 : 7-13 April

World Allergy Week 2019 was observed from 7 to 13 April 2019.

The theme for World Allergy Week 2019 is “The Global Problem of Food Allergy”.

World Allergy Week is a global campaign of the World Allergy Organisation (WAO), which aims to raise awareness of the impact of allergy in our communities.

Baisakhi festival being celebrated today

The festival of Baisakhi is being celebrated with enthusiasm in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh today.

It is a spring harvest festival for the Sikhs.

Baisakhi also commemorates the formation of Khalsa Panth by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699.

Jallianwala Bagh massacre centenary

The nation is paying homage to martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh massacre on its hundredth anniversary on 13 April, 2019.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu will release a Commemorative Coin and Commemorative Postage Stamp.

Hundreds of innocent people were killed by Brigadier General Dyer during a peaceful meeting at the Jallianwala park on this day in 1919.

Rama Navami being celebrated in the country

Sri Rama Navami is being celebrated with great enthusiasm across the country on 13 April, 2019.

The festival marks the birth of Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished people on the occasion.

World Homeopathy Day: 2-day convention

World Homeopathy Day is observed on 10 April to commemorate the birth anniversary of the founder of Homeopathy, Dr Christian Fredrich Samuel Hahnemann.

On the occasion, the Central Council for Research in Homeopathy, CCRH, organized a two-day convention in New Delhi.

CRPF celebrated 54th Valour Day

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) celebrated its 54th Valour Day on 9 April 2019.

On this day, in 1965, a small contingent of 2nd Battalion of CRPF successfully fought and repulsed an attack by a Pakistani Brigade on Sardar Post in the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.

On the Occasion, President Ram Nath Kovind paid homage to the martyrs of police at National Police Memorial in New Delhi.

World Health Day: 7 April

World Health Day is observed every year on 7 April under the sponsorship of WHO.

The theme for World Health Day 2019 is ‘Universal Coverage: Everyone, Everywhere’ to ensure that no human being will ever have to make a choice between the two.

The day celebrates the establishment of the WHO and this year it marks the end of the World Health Organization’s 70th-anniversary celebrations.

National Handloom Week: April 7-14

The National Handloom Week is being observed from April 7-14, 2019.

National Handloom Day is observed every year on 7 August to mark a 1905 movement that boycotted British products in favour of the revival of domestic ones.

Int day of sports development: 6 April

International Day of Sport for Development and Peace is observed on 6 April.

The adoption of this Day signifies the increasing recognition by the UN of the positive influence that sport can have on the advancement of human rights, and social and economic development.

This date commemorates the inauguration, in 1896, of the first Olympic games of the modern era, in Athens (Greece).

April 5: National Maritime Day of India

In India, the National Maritime Day is celebrated every year on April 5.

On this day in 1919, navigation history was created when SS Loyalty, the first ship of The Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd travelled to the UK.

The day was first celebrated on April 5, 1964.

The theme of the 56th edition of the National Maritime Day is 'Indian Ocean-An Ocean of opportunity'.

Prevention of Blindness Week 2019

Prevention of Blindness Week 2019 is being observed from 1st of April to 7th of April 2019.

It is celebrated for increasing the awareness towards the blind people.

There are 10 million people who are suffering from blindness in India. The worldwide number of blind people is approximately 37 million.

It was first started by the Jawaharlal Nehru and Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur in the year 1960.





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International Mines Awareness Day: 4 April

International Mines Awareness Day is observed every year on 4 April.

The theme for IMAD 2019 is 'United Nations Promotes SDGs – Safe Ground – Safe Home'.

On 8 December 2005, the General Assembly declared that 4 April of each year shall be observed as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

World Autism Awareness Day: 2 April

World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognized day on the second of April every year.

The United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared 2 April as World Autism Awareness Day to highlight the need to help improve the quality of life of those with autism.

The theme for this year is ‘Assistive Technologies, Active Participation’.

Earth Hour 2019 celebrated worldwide

Earth Hour 2019 was celebrated in 188 countries worldwide

To mark this day, cities worldwide turned their lights off for one hour from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm local time.

It was the 13th edition of Earth hour and the campaign of Earth Hour 2019 was ‘Connect2Earth’

It was aimed at building mass awareness on the importance of nature and create an unstoppable movement for nature.

International Affairs

Twitter announced premium content deals

Twitter has announced premium content deals with Univision, The Wall Street Journal, NFL, ESPN, and Viacom for live-streaming videos on its platform.

The deals will showcase new live and on-demand premium video programming, offering advertisers new opportunities to connect with influential and receptive audiences.

China hosted 2nd Belt and Road Forum

The second edition of Belt and Road Forum (BRF) was held in Beijing, China from April 25th to April 27th, 2019.

The theme of this event was 'Belt and Road Cooperation: Shaping a Brighter Shared Future'.

The Belt and Road Forum is a part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The idea of BRI was first proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013.

New species of crab found

Scientists have discovered a new species of crab that swam the sea 95 million years ago.

The small, pocket-size crab, named Callichimaera perplexa, was very different from its modern-day cousins.

The crab fossils were discovered in 2005 in the Andes Mountains in Colombia.

Sumatra floods killed 17: Indonesia

In Indonesia, at least 17 people have been killed and nine are missing after days of heavy rain triggered floods and landslides on the island of Sumatra.

Some 12,000 people have been evacuated, and hundreds of buildings, bridges and roads damaged.

The severe weather has affected nine districts across Bengkulu province.

International News

Srilankan President has banned the National Thawheed Jamath (NJT) and Jamathei Milathu Ibrahim (JMI) two of the fundamentalist terror networks linked with attacks.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has issued an order for a ban on burqa, veil or covering of the face in a manner which prevents anyone from being identified.

Floating nuclear power plant launched

A floating nuclear power plant that is also known as 'Chernobyl on ice' is ready to begin supplying the electricity in Russia.

The Akademik Lomonosov is reportedly destined to provide power for a region in Russia’s far east.

The ship’s 70-megawatt reactors could power a city of 200,000 people.

China is constructing a similar floating power station.





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USA secure ODI status for first time

The United States secured the One-Day International (ODI) status.

There will be 20 ODI nations after the end of the tournament, with the top four sides to join Scotland, the United Arab Emirates, Nepal, and the Netherlands in having temporary status.

Oman has also secured their ODI status, leaving Namibia, Papua New Guinea, Canada, and Hong Kong to fight it out for the remaining two places.

Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary resigned

Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando resigned on 25th April after the Easter attacks.

He took the responsibility for the deadly serial bombings.

The new Secretary is yet to be named.

Mr.Fernando is the first official to step down after both President Maithripala Sirisena and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said they were unaware of the imminent threat.

Etihad: 1st to operate plastic-free flight

Etihad Airways has become the 1st airline in the Gulf region to operate a flight EY484 without any plastics on board, in a bid to raise awareness about pollution on Earth Day (April 22).

Etihad identified that over 95 single-use plastic products are used across its aircraft cabins.

By the end of 2019, it will have removed 100 tonnes of single-use plastics from its inflight service.

2 new bird species found in Indonesia

Zoologists at Trinity College Dublin discovered 2 new bird species named as the Wakatobi white-eye and the Wangi-Wangi white-eye in the Wakatobi Archipelago of Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Details of their discovery were published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

In the same journal, Alfred Wallace and Charles Darwin published their original ideas about speciation in 1858.

Russia and North Korea held first summit

Russia's Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un held first summit talks in Vladivostok.

Its aim was to strengthen ties that date back to the Soviet Union's support for the founder of North Korea, Kim's grandfather Kim Il Sung.

Sri Lanka banned drones after Easter bombings

Sri Lanka banned the use of drones and unmanned aircraft following the Easter bombings that killed over 350 people and injured more than 500.

The ban will be in effect until further notice.

Ranil Wickremesinghe is the PM of Sri Lanka, while Maithripala Sirisena is its President.

UAE's sewage plant inaugurated

The UAE's biggest sewage treatment plant, Jebel Ali STP, built by Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has been inaugurated.

The 3,75,000 cum/day Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) Jebel Ali (Phase 2) is the biggest in the UAE, built by L&T for the Dubai Municipality.

The Jebel Ali treatment facilities have a total treatment capacity of 675 MLD which includes existing 300 MLD of Phase - 1.

Archaeologists uncovered an ancient tomb

In Egypt, archaeologists have uncovered an ancient tomb with mummies believed to date back about 2,000 years in the southern city of Aswan.

The tomb is from the Greco-Roman period, which began with Alexander the Great in 332 B.C.

Archaeologists found artefacts, including decorated masks, statuettes, vases, coffin fragments and cartonnages- chunks of linen or papyrus glued together.

US recorded 695 measles cases in 2019

The United States has recorded 695 cases of measles in 2019, the most of any year since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000.

The high number of cases in 2019 is primarily the result of a few large outbreaks in Washington State and in New York that started late 2018.

Outbreaks in the US have been confined to tight-knit communities where vaccination rates are lower.

Malawi to undertake the RTS

Malawi, the African Nation, is to undertake large scale pilot tests for the world's most advanced experimental malaria vaccine in a bid to prevent the disease.

The RTS, S vaccine, the first to give partial protection to children, trains the immune system to attack the malaria parasite.

RTS, S vaccine under the trade name Mosquirix has been developed by GlaxoSmithKline.

Arab League pledged $100 mn to PA

The Arab League has pledged $100 million per month to the Palestinian Authority (PA) to make up for funds withheld by Israel.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the Arab League in Cairo, as part of a diplomatic effort to rebuff the Trump administration’s Middle East peace plan.

Israel collects taxes on behalf of the PA but withheld $138m in transfers in February.

Indonesia's Mount Agung erupted again

The active volcano of Indonesia Mount Agung has erupted again to a height of 2km.





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Two other volcanoes popular with tourists Mount Bromo in East Java and Mount Merapi in Yogyakarta also continues to erupt.

Mount Agung is an active volcano in Bali of Indonesia.

New community in Golan be named after Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a new community in the Golan Heights would be named after US President Donald Trump.

Israel has also stated it intends to name a proposed train station near Jerusalem’s Western Wall after him.

Israel captured the Golan from Syria in a 1967 war and annexed it, in a move not recognized internationally.

Pak Navy successfully test fired missile

Pakistan Navy successfully test-fired an indigenous cruise missile in the Arabian Sea on 23 April 2019.

The indigenously developed cruise missile has anti-ship missile and land attack capability.

Vice Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Kaleem Shaukat witnessed the live firing, which was conducted by the Navy's fast attack craft.

Iran brands US military as terrorist

Iranian lawmakers approved a Bill that labels U.S. military forces as terrorist.

173 out of 215 lawmakers at the Parliament session in Tehran voted for the new Bill.

The Bill also demands the Iranian government take unspecified action against other governments that formally back the U.S. designation.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Israel have all supported the Trump administration’s designation.

Sri Lanka declared emergency

Sri Lanka enforced a state of emergency from 22 April 2019 in the wake of the deadly Easter blasts that killed 290 people and wounded more than 500 others, enhancing the counter terrorism powers of the security forces.

The decision was made during a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) chaired by President Maithripala Sirisena.

Iran, Pakistan declare joint border reaction

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani announced that Iran and Pakistan will create a joint ‘reaction force’ on the border between the two countries, for combatting terrorism.

The announcement came during a two-day visit to Iran by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, the first of his tenure.

Iran and Pakistan share a 959 km land border.

US to end sanction waivers to India

The United States announced that all buyers of Iranian oil will have to end their imports shortly or face sanctions.

In November, the US reimposed sanctions on exports of Iranian oil after President Trump unilaterally pulled out of a 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and six world powers.

Saudi Aramco to acquire Royal Dutch Shell

Saudi Aramco will acquire Royal Dutch Shell's 50% stake in their Saudi refining joint venture SASREF for $631 million.

Saudi Aramco Shell Refinery Co (SASREF), based in Jubail Industrial City in Saudi Arabia, has a crude oil refining capacity of 305,000 barrels per day (bpd).

Shell has sold over $30 billion of assets in recent years as it shifts its focus to lower carbon businesses.

290 dead in Sri Lanka bomb blasts

A series of 8 devastating bomb blasts ripped through high-end hotels and churches holding Easter services in Sri Lanka on 21 April 2019.

The blasts killed 290 people, including dozens of foreigners and injured 500.

At least two of them involved suicide bombers, including one who lined up at a hotel breakfast buffet before unleashing carnage.

Zelensky won Presidential elections

In Ukraine, comedian and political newcomer Volodymyr Zelensky secured a victory in the Presidential election.

Exit polls indicated that he is going to take 73% of the votes while incumbent Petro Poroshenko securing 25%.

His victory will open a new chapter in the history of a country that has gone through two popular uprisings in the last 20 years.

Saudi Arabia to host G20 leaders' summit

Saudi Arabia will host the annual G20 leaders' summit on 21-22 November 2020 in Riyadh.

The G20 is made up of 19 of the world's biggest economies, as well as the European Union.

It was formed in 1999 to discuss policy matters and financial stability.

Japan will host the 2019 G20 summit in Osaka.

In 2018, the conference was held in Buenos Aries, Argentina.

World’s first armed amphibious drone boat

China has successfully tested the world’s first armed amphibious drone boat.

It could be used in land assault operations and is capable of forming a combat triad with aerial drones and other drone ships.

The drone ship has been named Marine Lizard.

The Marine Lizard can be remotely controlled via satellites.

It can reach a maximum speed of 50 knots while maintaining stealth.

Asian Tea Alliance launched in China





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The Asian Tea Alliance, a union of 5 tea-growing and consuming countries, was launched in Guizhou, China on 19 April 2019.

The members of the alliance are the Indian Tea Association, China Tea Marketing Association, Indonesian Tea Marketing Association, Sri Lanka Tea Board and Japan Tea Association.

It plans to work towards enhancing tea trade, cultural exchanges and globally promoting tea.

Walmart, Amazon kicked off pilot program

Amazon and Walmart kicked off a 2-year government pilot program allowing low-income shoppers on government food assistance in New York to shop and pay for their groceries online for the first time.

ShopRite will join the 2 retailers on the program.

The pilot program will test both online ordering and payment.

7th China Int Tech Fair kicked off

The 7th China International Technology Fair opened on 18 April 2019 in Shanghai, a national-level professional fair focused on international technology trade.

With an exhibition space covering 35,000 square meters, the fair has five exhibition areas including professional technologies, technological innovation, and trade services.

WHO issued guidelines on digital health tech

The WHO has released new recommendations on 10 ways countries can use digital health technology, accessible via mobile phones, tablets and computers, to improve people’s health and essential services.

The guidelines demonstrate that health systems need to respond to the increased visibility and availability of information.

Nepal launched its first satellite from USA

Nepal successfully launched its first satellite NepaliSat-1 into space from America on 18 April 2019.

The satellite developed by the Nepalese scientists was launched from Virginia in the US, according to Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST).

Nepali scientists, Aabhas Maskey and Hariram Shrestha developed the satellite under the BIRDS project of their institute.

IMF and WB launched learning coins

The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have together launched a private blockchain with a pseudo-token.

The new token, called 'Learning Coin' and only accessible within the IMF and World Bank, has a purpose to teach relevant individuals within the organizations about blockchain.

Though the coin has no real value, hence the description pseudo-token.

Scientists elected fellows of Royal Society

51 eminent scientists have become Fellows of the Royal Society, as well as ten new Foreign Members and one Honorary Fellow for their exceptional contributions to science.

This year’s newly elected Fellows and Foreign Members of the Royal Society have been drawn from diverse fields of enquiry - epidemiology, geometry, climatology.

Boeing conducted test flight of 737 MAX

Boeing has conducted a final test flight of a 737 MAX model with an updated anti-stall system prior to its certification by aviation authorities.

Test pilots have completed 120 flights totaling more than 203 hours of airtime with the software fix for the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS).

Mt Everest to get an eco-friendly toilet

Mount Everest will get an eco-friendly toilet at a Chinese campsite 7,028 m above sea level in an ongoing campaign to deal with the peak’s waste problem.

Decades of commercial mountaineering have turned Mount Everest into the world’s highest rubbish dump.

The toilet will make it easy to collect the human waste produced by the climbers.

Mujibnagar Day observed in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, the historic Mujibnagar day is being observed on 17 April 2019.

The day marks the oath-taking ceremony of Bangladesh's first government in 1971 at Baidyanathtala in Meherpur.

The day is being observed by political parties and social and cultural organisations through various programs across Bangladesh.

Notre Dam in Paris caught fire

A major fire engulfed the medieval cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris, one of France's most famous landmarks.

The 850-year-old Gothic building's spire and roof have collapsed but the main structure, including the two bell towers, has been saved.

Notre-Dame has stood tall above Paris since the 1200s.

A Unesco World Heritage site, it was built in the 12th and 13th centuries.

Uber to launch IPO

Uber revealed the paperwork for its giant IPO.

This paperwork doesn't yet include key details, like how much the company expects to charge for each share of its stock, or how many shares it will sell.

Unique oil-eating bacteria discovered





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At the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the Earth’s oceans, scientists have discovered unique oil-eating bacteria.

But the new research reveals the Mariana Trench is home to the greatest concentration of these life forms anywhere in the world.

The 2,550km long ocean trench is located in the western Pacific Ocean and reaches a maximum depth of about

11,000 metres.

World's biggest airplane took flight

The largest airplane ever created and its record-breaking 385-foot wingspan took off for the very first time on 13 April 2019.

The aircraft, from the company Stratolaunch, has been eight years in the making.

By 2022, the company hopes to use the twin-fuselage, six-engined, catamaran-style aircraft to launch satellite-bearing rockets into space.

Last female of rare turtle species died

The only known female member of one of the world’s rarest and most endangered turtle species died on 13 April 2019. It was more than 90 years old.

The female Yangtze giant softshell turtle died at the Suzhou Zoo in Suzhou, China.

The death means only three giant softshell turtles remain in the world.

IMO’s new rule on information exchange

A new global rule mandated by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) for national governments to introduce electronic information exchange between ships and ports took effect from 8 April 2019.

The rule seeks to make cross-border trade simpler.

The rule is mandatory under IMO’s Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL Convention).

Abdelkader: Interim President of Algeria

The Algerian Parliament on 9 April 2019 confirmed upper house Speaker Abdelkader Bensalah as the interim President of the country.

The interim President has to conduct the elections within 90 days and cannot legally contest in the polls.

On 2 April 2019, Bouteflika resigned as Algeria's president before his mandate was to end on April 28, after remaining in power for about 20 years.

Lapin confirmed as Haiti’s new Prime Minister

Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise confirmed Jean-Michel Lapin as the country’s new Prime Minister.

Lapin, the former culture and communications minister, was named acting prime minister on 21 March 2019.

Lapin is the third head of government under president Moise, who has led the Caribbean island nation since February 2017.

UAE & Saudi Arabia agencies to help Iran

UAE & Saudi Arabia relief agencies announced a joint initiative to help people in flood hit Iran.

The Emirates Red Crescent will coordinate with its Saudi counterpart on the best ways of implement the initiative.

The operation is being undertaken within the framework of Islamic brotherhood and in solidarity with the Iranian people.

SpaceX carries first commercial launch

SpaceX carried out its first commercial launch with its Falcon Heavy rocket which took a Saudi satellite in orbit.

The launch took place in Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA.

The rocket carried a Saudi Arabian satellite operated by Arabsat.

Elon Musk is the founder of SpaceX.

UNSC votes to end peacekeeping in Haiti

The UN Security Council voted unanimously to completely end its peacekeeping operations in Haiti by October 15, 2019.

It will continue to support government efforts to promote order and development in the country.

Haiti is Latin America's poorest country and its capital is Port-au-Prince.

Image of toddler won World Press Photo

The haunting image of a little girl crying helplessly as she and her mother are taken into custody by US border officials has won the prestigious World Press Photo Award.

The picture of the wailing toddler was published worldwide and caused a public outcry about Washington's controversial policy to separate thousands of migrants from their children.

The picture was taken by John Moore.

EU, UK agreed to delay Brexit

Britain didn't leave the EU on April 12, 2019, after Britain and the EU agreed to an extension till the end of October 2019.

The period is longer than the extension till June 30 that Prime Minister Theresa May had sought.

Leaders made clear that the onus was very much on Britain to find a solution and deliver within this period.

UK introduced online safety regulations

The UK government introduced the world’s first framework designed to hold internet companies accountable for the safety of those using their services.





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The Online Harms whitepaper is a joint proposal from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Home Office.

Various technology companies will be subject to the laws, including social media platforms.

Cyclone Idai's death toll rose to 1000

The death toll from the cyclone Idai is now above 1,000.

Mozambique has reported 602 deaths while 59 people have died in Malawi.

Cyclone Idai smashed into the coast of central Mozambique in March 2019. It unleashed hurricane-force winds and rains that flooded the hinterland and drenched eastern Zimbabwe.

Around 2 million people have been affected in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Malawi.

Dogs can sniff out cancer with 97% accuracy

Dogs can pick out blood samples from people with cancer with 97% accuracy, as per a study.

Dogs have smell receptors 10,000 times more accurate than humans', making them highly sensitive to odours we can not perceive.

For the study, the team used a form of clicker training to teach four beagles to distinguish between normal blood serum and samples from patients with malignant lung cancer.

London implemented pollution charge zone

London became the first city in the world to implement a special Ultra Low Emission Zone that would charge an entry fee for older vehicles if they do not meet the emission standards.

In an attempt to reduce air pollution and protect public health, the ULEZ will be operational for 24 hours and 7 days a week.

A vehicle that does not meet the new emission standard will have to pay daily charge.

Alphabet launched public drone service

Wing, the drone delivery company owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, is launching its first public drone delivery service in Canberra, Australia.

Around 100 homes in the suburbs of Crace, Palmerston, and Franklin will initially have access to the service.

Drones will not be allowed to fly over main roads, they will only be allowed to fly between 7 am and 8 pm from Monday to Friday.

Dream 11 entered Unicorn Club

Dream11, online gaming firm, announced the completion of a secondary investment by Steadview Capital, an Asia-focused alternative asset manager.

The investment takes Dream11’s valuation at over $1 billion making it first Indian gaming company to enter the Unicorn club.

In terms of total user base on a fantasy sports platform, Dream11 is the market leader with over 50 million users.

Etihad Airways to seek loan

Etihad Airways PJSC is seeking a loan of about $600 million to help make initial payments for planes.

Etihad Airways has 43 unfilled orders from the Boeing Co.’s 787 family, according to a Boeing January report.

The airline is also being sued over an August 2017 decision.

US to designate IRG as terrorist organization

The US will designate Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRG) as a terrorist organization.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was formed after the 1979 Islamic revolution with a mission to defend the clerical regime.

IRGC is in charge of Iran's ballistic missiles and nuclear programmes.

The IRGC has an estimated 125,000-strong military with army, navy and air units.

Global coalition for clean cooling launched

The first-ever global coalition on clean and efficient cooling was launched at the First Global Conference on Synergies between the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement, which concluded on April 3, 2019, in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The Global Coalition links action across the Kigali Amendment, Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.

India has developed its National Cooling Action Plan.

First secure link between India, US navies

India & the US have set up the first ever secure communication link between the Indian Navy & US Central.

US has also activated the Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module GPS system in some of C-130 and C-17 transport aircraft

COMCASA - COMmunications, Compatibility And Security Agreement is the Indo-US military-information sharing pact and was signed at the 2+2 bilateral summit in 2018

Japan names new imperial era as 'Reiwa'

'Reiwa' will be the name for the new era when Prince Naruhito succeeds his father Emperor Akihito, whose abdication on April 30 will end the 31-year 'Heisei' era (Since 1989).

While 'Rei' means "good" and "beautiful" as well as "order" or "command", 'Wa' means "peace" or "harmony".





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Japan imported the imperial calendar system from China about 1,300 years ago.

Arab leaders condemn U.S. move on Golan

Arab leaders condemned on Sunday a U.S. decision to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights and said West Asia’s stability depended on creating a Palestinian state.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz told Arab monarchs, Presidents and Prime Ministers at the meeting that his country ”absolutely rejects” any measures affecting Syria’s sovereignty over the Golan Height

Books & Authors

Konkani version of Constitution released

A Konkani translation of the Indian Constitution was released by the Mangaluru Bishop Peter Paul Saldanha.

The translation has been done by Professor Stephen Quadros Permude, author of several books in Konkani.

The book was brought out by the Mangaluru Diocesan Commission, led by its convener Father J.B. Crasta.

Police officers awarded for writing book

A Delhi Police officer has been awarded 'Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant Award' for his book 'Samvidhan Kavya'.

Bureau of Police Research and Development gave the award to Special Commissioner of Police (Operations) Sunil Kumar Gautam for 2018-19.

The book presents the provisions of the Constitution in a simple and poetic form.

Book on Khooni Vaisakhi released in UAE

India's Ambassador to the UAE Navdeep Singh Suri has commended the launch of a book containing the english translation of the Punjabi poem, Khooni Vaisakhi.

The poem was translated by Suri whose grandfather Nanak Singh, a Jallianwala Bagh survivor, wrote it after witnessing the events.

The book was released in New Delhi on April 13, 2019, marking 100 years of the massacre.

Atul Jalan's book hit the stands

Entrepreneur, technologist and science storyteller, Atul Jalan launched his new book titled, 'Where will man take Us? - A Bold story of the Man Technology is creating'.

It is published by Penguin Random House Books.

Authored by Atul Jalan, CEO of Manthan Systems, the book looks at the immediate future of mankind and what lies in wait.

Prasar Bharati Chairman releases booklet

Prasar Bharati Chairman, A Surya Prakash released a booklet of the 'Selected speeches of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar in the Constituent Assembly', in New Delhi on 12 April 2019.

The event was organised to commemorate the contributions of Baba Saheb in the upliftment of underprivileged in the country.

The event was organised to mark the 128th birth anniversary of Dr. B R Ambedkar.

Autobiography of social worker released

'Ashakiranam,’ an autobiography of noted social worker Sankurathri Chandrasekhar, was released on 10 April 2019.

Penned by Dr. Chandrasekhar in English with the title ‘A Ray of Hope’ the autobiography was translated into Telugu by Godavarthi Satyamurthy.

Religious scholar Chaganti Koteswara Rao released the book while writer and literary critic Vadrevu Veeralakshmi Devi reviewed the work.

Jeff Kinney out with new book

Renowned author Jeff Kinney has come out with a new book 'Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson's Journal',

It was announced by publishers Puffin, the children's imprint of Penguin Books on 11 April 2019.

It is written from the point of view of Rowley Jefferson, the best friend of 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' protagonist Greg Heffley.






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'Game Changer' to hit stands on April 30

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi's biography 'Game Changer' will hit the stands on April 30, 2019.

The biography is written by well-known TV anchor and broadcaster, Wajahat S Khan.

He retired from all cricket in April 2016 after a 20-year international career in which he appeared in 27 Tests, 398 ODIs and 99 T20 internationals.

Garuda Prakashan launches ‘Saffron Swords’

The Indian Publishing company, Garuda Prakashan Private Limited, launched its book ‘Saffron Swords- Centuries of Indic Resistance to Invaders’.

Written by Manoshi Sinha Rawal, it is a book on 52 unsung warriors of India from the last 1300 years.

Personalities in News

Dominic won Barcelona Open Title

Dominic Thiem clinched the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell 2019 title held at Barcelona, Spain which was held from April 22- 28, 2019.

He secured 6-4, 6-0.

He became just the fourth player in the past 15 years to lift the title in Barcelona, joining Rafael Nadal, Kei Nishikori, and Fernando Verdasco.

He’s also the first Austrian winner at this event since Thomas Muster in 1996.

Sri Lanka's Defence Secretary resigned

Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando resigned on 25th April after the Easter attacks.

He took the responsibility for the deadly serial bombings.

The new Secretary is yet to be named.

Mr.Fernando is the first official to step down after both President Maithripala Sirisena and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said they were unaware of the imminent threat.

Uber Asia Pacific head Amit Jain resigned

AmitJain, Uber’s Asia-Pacific region Head, announced his resignation at the end of May 2019 after four-year service to spend time with his family.

Uber’s head of Europe, Middle East and Africa, Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty will take over the additional charge of APAC.

Uday Kumar resigned from Assocham post

Uday Kumar Varma resigned from the post of The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham) Secretary-General.

Currently, Assocham’s Deputy Secretary-General Saurabh Sanyal is discharging the duties of secretary general.

Assocham was founded in 1921 and is headquartered in New Delhi.

Yogi won assembly elections in Japan

An Indian-origin Japanese has been elected to Tokyo's Edogawa Ward assembly, becoming the first Indian to win an election in Japan.

Puranik Yogendra, a naturalised Japanese, secured 6,477 votes, the fifth highest of the 226,561 valid ballots cast, in the April 21 poll.

Over 34,000 Indians live in Japan.

Britain's youngest accountant: Ranveer Singh

A 15-year-old Indian-origin boy has been lauded as Britain's youngest accountant after setting up a successful accountancy firm while still at school.

Ranveer Singh Sandhu, based in south London, has set himself a goal of becoming a millionaire by the time he turns 25 after he set up his first business when he was aged just 12 years.

He charges between 12-15 pounds per hour for his services.

Vijender Singh: Congress Candidate

The Congress fielded champion boxer Vijender Singh, who won the bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, from the South Delhi constituency.

He will take on BJP’s sitting MP Ramesh Bidhuri and AAP’s Raghav Chadha.

In all, the Congress has so far declared candidates for 422 Lok Sabha seats.

Nasim Zaidi quit Jet Airways board

The non-executive and non-independent director of Jet Airways, Nasim Zaidi has quit the board, citing personal reasons and time constraints.

Zaidi, the former Chief Election Commissioner and ex- civil aviation secretary, joined the Jet Airways board in August last year.

Hardik, Rahul fined Rs. 20 lakh

Indian cricketers Hardik Pandya and K.L. Rahul were fined 20 lakh rupees each by the BCCI ombudsman Justice D.K. Jain.

They were fined for their sexist comments on a popular TV chat show.

Pandya and Rahul have already served a provisional suspension and tendered an unconditional apology for their loose comments on women.

Maldivian President visited Bangalore

Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih visited Bengaluru on 21 April 2019 to attend an IPL match on the invitation of BCCI.





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He was accompanied by two of his cabinet members including foreign minister Abdulla Shahid.

He watched the match between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings.

Longest spaceflight by a woman

A National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronaut is all set to set a record for the longest spaceflight by a woman.

NASA astronaut Christina Koch is going to have her mission on the International Space Station (ISS) extended to 328 days.

This would set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman.

Christina Koch will remain in orbit until February 2020.

Hamied receives UK Royal Society honour

Prominent scientist and businessman Yusuf Hamied was honoured in the 2019 list of new fellows of the UK's Royal Society.

He is Chairman of pharmaceutical major Cipla.

The Royal Society is an independent scientific academy of the UK and the Commonwealth, dedicated to promoting excellence in science.

Indian-American scientist in Hall of Fame

An Indian-American scientist and social activist has been inducted into the Cleveland International Hall of fame for his contribution in applications in systems biology, global issues and sustainable development.

Prof Sree Sreenath was inducted into it, along with five other inductees Dr. Akram Boutros, Ingrida Bublys, Paul Burik, Richard Fleischman, and Marilyn Madigan.

Rakesh Suryakant resigned as Adani CFO

Adani Enterprises' CFO Rakesh Suryakant Shah has resigned.

Rakesh Suryakant Shah has tendered his resignation as chief financial officer (CFO) with effect from April 16, 2019.

Adani Enterprises is a diversified conglomerate with business interests across integrated coal management and mining, solar cells and module manufacturing, agri-storage infrastructure and food products.

FIFA banned former football President

FIFA banned former Brazilian Football Confederation president Jose Maria Marin from all football-related activities for life.

In August 2018, Marin who led Brazil’s organizing committee for the 2014 World Cup, was sentenced to 4 years in prison for racketeering, money laundering, and wire fraud.

Earlier Marin was arrested at a luxury Zurich hotel in May 2015.

Time 100 most influential people report

The Time 100 most influential people of 2019 includes lawyers Arundhati Katju and Menaka Guruswamy.

They were instrumental in the Supreme Court partly striking down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code.

Reliance Industries (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani also featured in the TIME magazine's list of 100 most influential people.

MS Dhoni: Brand ambassador of redBus

Bus ticketing platform redBus has appointed cricketer icon MS Dhoni as its brand ambassador.

He will drive all major campaigns for the brand across media platforms and will soon appear in his first promotional concept for the brand.

The CEO of redBus is Prakash Sangam.

redBus commands a strong foothold in the Indian online bus ticketing segment.

Julian Assange arrested in London

Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange has been arrested at the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

He took refuge in the embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over a sexual assault case that has since been dropped.

He will face up to five years in US prison if convicted on the charges of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion.

Cairn India CEO and CFO resigned

Vedanta-owned Cairn India’s CEO and CFO, Sudhir Mathur and Pankaj Kalra have resigned in quick succession.

The frequency of exits in the company since Anil Agarwal’s Vedanta took over it in 2011 has raised many questions.

Varun Dhawan: Navratna brand ambassador

Emami has roped in Varun Dhawan to endorse Navratna Cool brand.

Emami will launch Dhawan as its new brand ambassador of Navratna Cool and he would feature in the new commercial.

Navratna brand, over the years, has been endorsed by leading actors including Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Govinda, and Shilpa Shetty.

Some of its products are Navratna Oil and Navratna Cool.

Isaak Hayik set new record

Isaak Hayik became the world's oldest player to take part in a professional game at the age of 73.

He set the record by playing as a goalkeeper for Israeli team Ironi or Yehuda recently.

He received the Guinness World Records prize at a ceremony after the match, just days ahead of his 74th birthday.

US Homeland Secretary stepped down





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US President Donald Trump announced that US Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is stepping down.

She would be temporarily replaced by Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan.

Ms. Nielsen's department was responsible for implementing the proposed border wall and the separation of migrant families.

Coimbatore student entered Guinness Book

Sridhar Muthukrishnan, a 2nd-year student of BSc Visual Communications entered the Guinness Book of World Records in light painting photography with 1,350 light orbs.

His work was submitted to the Guinness Book officials on February 13, 2018, and the certificate was issued in March 2019.

London exhibition paid tribute to Mary Quant

Mary Quant was the subject of a major retrospective opening at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum this week.

She was the fashion queen of Britain’s Swinging Sixties.

The 85-year-old has gone down in history for popularising the mini-skirt and for making women’s clothes fun and affordable.

'Game Changer' to hit stands on April 30

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi's biography 'Game Changer' will hit the stands on April 30, 2019.

The biography is written by well-known TV anchor and broadcaster, Wajahat S Khan.

He retired from all cricket in April 2016 after a 20-year international career in which he appeared in 27 Tests, 398 ODIs and 99 T20 internationals.

Sana Dua: Brand ambassador J&K election dept

Lawyer-turned-model Sana Dua would be the brand ambassador of the Jammu and Kashmir election department for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

She was the first runner-up in the Femina Miss India 2017 contest and has also participated in the Miss United Continents 2017 and figured among the top 10 contestants.

Lori Lightfoot: First black woman Mayor

Chicago created history by electing an African-American woman as its mayor for the first time.

She will take over office from Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who previously served as chief of staff under former President Barack Obama.

She will also be Chicago's first openly gay mayor.

Algerian President resigned

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned after weeks of mass protests.

He was in power for 20 years and was under mounting pressure to step down since his decision to seek a fifth term.

Mr. Bouteflika was rarely being seen in public after suffering a stroke in 2013.

Malaysia's ex-PM went for trial

Malaysia's former Prime Minister Najib Razak went on trial on 3 April 2019 over a multi-billion-dollar financial scandal.

He faced the first of several trials over his alleged involvement in the looting of sovereign wealth fund.

In the trial, Najib faced seven charges of corruption and money laundering over the alleged theft of some 10.3 million dollars.

Government Policies & Schemes

SBI launched Green Car Loan

State Bank of India (SBI) launched ‘Green Car Loan’ to encourage customers to buy electric vehicles (EVs) in the country.

The interest rates on the loan will be 20 basis points (0.2%) lower than SBI’s existing auto loans.

Thus, the equated monthly instalment (EMI) per Rs 1 lakh will be lower at Rs 1,468 for 96 months.

The scheme comes with the longest repayment period of up to 8 years.

Farmers received 1st tranche under PM Kisan

Around 3.10 crore small farmers have so far received the first tranche of Rs 2,000 each under the PM-Kisan scheme.

2.10 crore peasants have got the second installment as well, costing Rs 10,500 crore to the exchequer.

The government had announced that 12 crore farmers would be covered under the Rs 75,000-crore Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme.

WB Govt's scheme won UN award

West Bengal government's 'Utkarsh Bangla' scheme was awarded the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) award of the United Nations.

Out of 1062 nominations in 18 categories from all over the world, #UtkarshBangla emerged No 1 in the Capacity Building category.

The WB government had received another UN award in 2017 for its 'Kanyashree' project.

Jan Dhan Bank deposits to cross Rs 1 lakh cr

The total deposits in bank accounts opened under the Jan Dhan scheme are set to cross Rs 1 lakh crore soon.

The cumulative balance in 35.29 crore accounts under the flagship programme of the Modi government reached Rs 97,665.66 crore as on April 3, 2019.

The Modi government launched the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) on August 28, 2014.





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New Urea Policy 2015 extended

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved to extend the duration of New Urea Policy 2015 for existing gas-based urea unit from 1 April 2019 until further orders.

The move will facilitate the continuation of operations and regular supply of urea to farmers.

At present, there are 31 urea units in the country of which 28 units are gas-based.

2 Bengal government schemes won UN awards

Two schemes of the West Bengal government for skill development and distribution of bicycles to students have won the prestigious World Summit on the Information Society awards of the United Nations.

The 2 schemes are the Utkarsh Bangla and Sabooj Sathi projects for youngsters.

85% Ujjawala beneficiaries use earthen stoves

A study from the Research Institute for Compassionate Economics shows that 85% of Ujjwala beneficiaries in rural Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh still use solid fuels for cooking.

The survey, conducted in late 2018, covered a random sample of 1,550 households in 11 districts of the four States, which collectively have two-fifths of the country’s rural population.

App launched to facilitate elderly voters

Sahulat, a mobile app aimed to facilitate voting by elders was launched in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on 3 April 2019.

District Election Officer Mohammad Aijaz Asad launched the Android-based application to reach out to the voters who are 90 years old or above.

The app has a simple and user-friendly interface with very simple login operation making it convenient for everyone.

Science & Technology

BepiColombo mission completed tests

The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)'s BepiColombo mission has successfully completed a series of test.

It has completed its near-Earth commissioning phase.

It is now ready for the operations that will take place eventually for its scientific investigations at Mercury.

Skyroot to test Vikram series of rockets

Skyroot Aerospace, a Hyderabad startup, is gearing up to test-launch its 'Vikram' series of rockets to send satellites into space by mid-2021.

The aerospace company is betting big on the proposed Space Activities Bill-2017 which is under discussion at the Cabinet-level.

Once the Bill is passed, it would enable and regulate the activities related to space by the private players.

Japan created 1st artificial crater

Japanese scientists succeeded in creating the first-ever artificial crater on an asteroid, a step towards shedding light on how the solar system evolved.

The crater from images captured by the probe is located 1,700 metres (5,500 feet) from the asteroid's surface.

NASA's Deep Impact probe succeeded in creating an artificial crater on a comet in 2005, but only for observation purposes.

NASA's InSight detected quake on Mars

NASA's robotic Mars InSight lander has recorded a likely mars quake for the first time ever.

The US space agency said the faint seismic signal, detected by the lander's Seismic instrument, was recorded on April 6, 2019.

This is the first recorded trembling that appears to have come from inside the planet, as opposed to being caused by forces above the surface, such as wind.

Dark matter search: Xenon unstable

In a spectacular discovery, the XENON collaboration publicly announced the discovery that xenon-124, an isotope of the element Xenon, is fundamentally unstable.

Its half-life is 1.8 × 1022 years: more than 1 trillion times the present age of the Universe.

It’s the longest half-life humanity has ever measured directly, and its implications for the nature of reality couldn’t be more profound.

Mercury has solid inner core

The smallest planet in our solar system, Mercury, has a massive solid inner core.

Mercury has a solid inner core about 2,000 kilometers in diameter, making up about half of Mercury’s entire core.

The planet has a weak magnetic field generated by circulation of molten metal in that liquid core.

The solid inner core makes up about half of the total core. The entire core is 85% of the planet.

New level of complexity in dolphins: Study

A new study has found that there are hundreds of sound that the dolphins use to communicate.

The study was published in the Journal ‘PeerJ’.

The Araguaian dolphins, also called botos, are hard to find and difficult to study.

They identified 237 different types of sounds that the dolphins make.

PIO-led team's CubeSat to be launched by NASA





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A team led by Keshav Raghavan has been chosen by NASA to have their CubeSat flown into space on future missions of NASA.

CubeSats are miniature satellites intended as a standard, inexpensive design that can easily fit alongside larger satellites aboard launch vehicles.

The team's CubeSat BLAST (Bouchet Low-Earth Alpha/Beta Space Telescope) is named for physicist Edward A Bouchet.

Sri Lanka’s 1st satellite ‘Raavana-1’ launched

Sri Lanka’s first satellite ‘Raavana-1’ was launched into space from NASA’s Flight Facility on 18 April 2019.

‘Raavana 1’ weights around 1.05 kg and the lifespan of the satellite is around one and a half years.

The launch marks Sri Lanka’s entry into the global space age.

Its mission is to capture images of Sri Lanka and its neighbouring countries.

Universe’s first molecule detected in space

Scientists have detected the most ancient type of molecule in our universe in space for the first time ever.

Helium hydride ion (HeH+) was the first molecule that formed almost 14 billion years ago.

It was detected by NASA's flying observatory SOFIA towards a planetary nebula.

Helium combined first with free electrons to form the first ever neutral atom.

Antares launches Cygnus on ISS cargo mission

A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket successfully launched a Cygnus spacecraft on 17 April 2019 carrying 3.5 metric tons of cargo bound for the International Space Station (ISS).

The Antares lifted off from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport.

The Cygnus is scheduled to be captured by the ISS’s robotic arm.

It will remain at the station for about 90 days.

220 million yr old dinossaur fossils found

A site containing the 220-million-year-old fossilised remains of nearly a dozen dinosaurs has been discovered in western Argentina.

There are almost ten different individuals, it's a mass of bones, there's practically no sediment.

This discovery is doubly important because there are at least seven or eight individuals of dicynodonts, the ancestors of mammals, the size of an ox.

Scientists identified green material

Researchers have identified an eco-friendly solid that could replace the inefficient and polluting gases used in most refrigerators and air conditioners.

When put under pressure, plastic crystals of neopentylglycol yield huge cooling effects, and are competitive with conventional coolants.

The material is inexpensive, widely available and functions at close to room temperature.

Nepal launched its first satellite from USA

Nepal successfully launched its first satellite NepaliSat-1 into space from America on 18 April 2019.

The satellite developed by the Nepalese scientists was launched from Virginia in the US, according to Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST).

Nepali scientists, Aabhas Maskey and Hariram Shrestha developed the satellite under the BIRDS project of their institute.

IMF and WB launched learning coins

The International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have together launched a private blockchain with a pseudo-token.

The new token, called 'Learning Coin' and only accessible within the IMF and World Bank, has a purpose to teach relevant individuals within the organizations about blockchain.

Though the coin has no real value, hence the description pseudo-token.

Mars based simulator unveiled in Gobi Desert

In the middle of China’s Gobi desert sits a Mars base simulator, the facility is full of teenagers on a school trip.

Surrounded by barren hills in northwestern Gansu province, Mars Base 1 opened on 17 April 2019

Its aim is to expose teens and soon tourists to what life could be like on the planet.

SpaceX to fly its DART mission

NASA announced that SpaceX will fly its Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) planetary-defense mission.

The total launch cost for NASA is estimated to be about $69 million.

DART - Double Asteroid Redirection Test.

It is a planned space probe that will demonstrate the kinetic effects of crashing an impactor spacecraft into an asteroid moon for planetary defense purposes.

IDRBT set up 5G lab for banking sector

The Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT) has launched a 5G Use Cases Lab for banking and financial sector.

The 5G technology, along with blockchain, will be progressively adopted by banks.

The use of 5G will change a range of technologies and applications including point of sale machines in the banking sector which were now using 2G.

Deepest radio images of sun created





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Scientists have captured the deepest radio images of the Sun, an advance that may help reliably predict space weather and its possible effects on Earth.

Sun's emission can change within a second and can be very different, even across nearby frequencies.

The Sun has some of the most powerful explosions in the solar system.

Titan has 100 m deep methane lakes

Saturn's largest moon Titan has small liquid lakes that run more than 100 metres deep, perched atop hills and filled with methane.

This was founded by scientists using data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft.

The findings are published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

They provide new information about the way liquid methane rains on, evaporates from and seeps into Titan.

Earth's surface heating up: NASA study

Satellite measurements by NASA researchers have verified the ground-based data which shows the Earth's surface has been warming globally over the past 15 years.

The team used measurements of the 'skin' temperature of the Earth taken by a satellite-based infrared measurement system called AIRS from 2003 to 2017.

The study was published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

Google opened AI lab in Ghana

Ghana and Google have cooperated to open Africa’s first AI research laboratory, which, experts hope, will take on some of the region’s struggles.

Africa has many challenges where the use of AI could be beneficial, sometimes even more than in other places.

The AI research lab will work to create solutions for healthcare, educations, and agriculture.

NASA found Alien World

NASA's newest planet hunter has discovered its first Earth-size alien world.

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) spotted the planet, as well as a weird sub-Neptune world, circling the star HD 21749, which lies about 53 light-years from Earth.

Astronomers discovered 3rd planet

Astronomers have discovered a third planet in the Kepler-47 system, securing the system’s title as the most interesting of the binary-star worlds.

Using data from NASA’s Kepler space telescope, a team of researchers, led by astronomers at San Diego State University, detected the new Neptune-to-Saturn-size planet orbiting between two previously known planets.

Electricity from falling snow created

Scientists have designed a first-of-its-kind 3D-printed device that can produce electricity from falling snow.

The device designed by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the US is inexpensive, small, thin and flexible like a sheet of plastic.

The device can work in remote areas because it provides its own power and does not need batteries.

New sensor can detect dangerous chemicals

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US have developed a spectrometer that can be used in smartphone-sized devices to detect dangerous chemicals.

Spectrometer could be integrated with the camera of a typical cellphone.

The device collects information about each individual pixel in an image to identify materials or detect specific objects

Impact of space travel on astronauts revealed

Scientists have found no major epigenetic differences in astronaut Scott Kelly, who spent a year in space aboard the International Space Station, and his twin brother, Mark Kelly, who remained on Earth.

Epigenetic changes involve chemical tweaks to DNA that can influence gene activity.

The changes affect when and how a gene is read, or expressed, for its protein-encoding instructions.

A new human ancestor species discovered

Scientists have identified a new human ancestor species named 'Homo luzonensis' in the Philippines.

They are classified as a separate species on the basis of 13 bones and teeth from two adults and one child found in a cave on the island of Luzon in the Philippines.

They are estimated to be three to four feet tall.

SpaceX carries first commercial launch

SpaceX carried out its first commercial launch with its Falcon Heavy rocket which took a Saudi satellite in orbit.

The launch took place in Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA.


Elon Musk is the founder of SpaceX.

First ever image of black hole released

Scientists have taken the first ever image of a black hole located in the distant galaxy.

The image has been captured by a network of eight telescopes across the world, known as the Event Horizon Telescope Project.

The feat was achieved by global collaborators at Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian.

SpaceX carried out first commercial launch





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SpaceX has carried out its first commercial launch with its Falcon Heavy rocket tasked with placing a Saudi satellite in orbit.

The rocket exerts 5.1 million pounds of thrust -- that of more than a dozen jetliners.


Google launched new cloud platform

Google launched Anthos, a new open platform from Google Cloud, that lets users run applications from anywhere, on 10 April 2019.

It allows users to run applications, unmodified, on existing on-premise hardware or on the public cloud and is based on the Cloud Services Platform.

It is a complete software-based solution. Users can set it up on existing hardware.

Yutu travelled 170 m on Moon

China's lunar rover Yutu-2 traveled 170.92 meters on the far side of the Moon, as per the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

It has run a total of 163 meters during the previous three lunar daytime periods.

During the third one, the rover conducted scientific examination over stones and tracks on the Moon.

Black Hole photograph released

The first ever photograph of a black hole was released on 10 April 2019.

Scientists working in the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration presented their observations at 6:30 PM IST.

Sagittarius A, a supermassive black hole site is 26,000 light years away, while the second is at the centre of the supergiant elliptical M87 galaxy in the Virgo constellation.

DEO Puducherry app launched

The Elections Department of Puducherry has launched DEO Puducherry, an IT application.

This will help voters with details of all polling stations in 25 Assembly constituencies in Puducherry district

The new app was launched by Senior Superintendent of Police (Law and Order) Apoorva Gupta.

The app features messages from the DEO, propaganda, law and order regulations.

IIT Madras tied up with GE

IIT Madras and General Electric (GE) have collaborated for establishing a ‘Cold Spray’ SMART (Surface Modification and Additive Research Technologies) Laboratory.

This is the first of its kind High-Pressure Cold Spray (HPCS) facility that is being installed in any academic institute in India.

IIT Madras will be developing advanced coatings meeting specifications of the aerospace standard.

Elements can be solid and liquid at same time

Scientists have discovered a new state of physical matter in which atoms can exist as both solid and liquid simultaneously.

Until now, the atoms in physical material existed typically in one of three states – solid, liquid or gas.

A team led by scientists from the University of Edinburgh used powerful computer simulations to study the existence of the state – known as the chain-melted state.

New feature of Whatsapp tested

In a bid to minimize fake news on its platform, WhatsApp is now testing a new feature within its Groups Settings to help users stop sending 'Frequently Forwarded' messages.

It is working on 2 features that will help over 1.5 billion users know how many times a message has been forwarded.

When the feature is enabled, nobody will be able to send a Frequently Forwarded message in the group.

CCMB scientists make major breakthrough

Researchers at the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) proclaimed new discovery on new antimicrobial approaches.

They are studying the cell growth in bacteria and have discovered a new enzyme 'Murein EndopeptidiaseK' which would cut the bacteria cell wall.

The researchers had identified a new enzyme which would act on the protein of cell wall in Escherichia coli (E. coli).

Scientist discovers 'death-switch' in plants

Chinese scientists have discovered a possible "death switch" mechanism in the plant's immune system that triggers infected cells to self-destruct.

This will limit the spread of the disease and keeping other parts of the plant healthy.

Scientists said the discovery provides clues to cell death control and immunity for plants.

Japan's probe drops explosive on asteroid

Japan's space agency has said its Hayabusa2 spacecraft released an explosive onto an asteroid to make a crater on its surface.

It will also collect underground samples to find possible clues to the origin of the solar system.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said that Hayabusa2 dropped a "small carry-on impactor" made of copper onto the asteroid and safely evacuated and remained intact

Vacuum assisted airplane toilet invented





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Scientists have invented a vacuum-assisted toilet that is about half as loud as the regular airplane commode.

It took researchers at the Brigham Young University (BYU) in the US two years of trial and error, three academic publications and thousands of flushes to figure out how to make toilets quieter.

An air-water mix in vacuum-assisted toilets travels more than 483 kilometres per hour.

China deployed new missile destroyer

China deployed its latest guided missile destroyer and frigate in the fleet of naval ships participating in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and Somalian coast in the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.

China's 32nd convoy fleet to the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters set sail from a military port in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang Province on 4 April 2019.

Study: Dark matter not made of black holes

Scientists have put the Stephen Hawking theory to its most rigorous test to date, saying dark matter is not made up of primordial black holes smaller than a tenth of a millimetre.

About 85% of the matter in the universe is believed to be made up of dark matter.

Its gravitational force prevents stars in our Milky Way from flying apart.

South Korea to launch 5G network

South Korea launched the world's first fully-fledged 5G mobile networks.

The superfast communications heralded by fifth-generation wireless technology will ultimately underpin everything from toasters to telephones; from electric cars to power grids.

It will bring smartphones near-instantaneous connectivity -- 20 times faster than the existing 4G.

ISRO to launch defence satellite

Starting May 2019, ISRO plans to send up at least eight earth observation (EO) satellites of varied hues and at the rate of almost one a month.

Communication satellite GSAT-32 is also in the offing next year to replace GSAT-6A, which was lost in a failed launch and was meant to mainly serve the ground forces.

FB launches ‘Why am I seeing this post'?

Facebook has introduced a new feature titled “Why am I seeing this post”

This will help users understand and control the kind of posts surfacing on their News Feed from friends, Pages, and Groups.

This means people will be able to tap on posts and ads in News Feed, get context on why they’re appearing and further take action to personalize what they see.

China launches 2nd gen relay satellite

China launched its first data relay satellite, the Tianlian I-01

China has successfully launched the first of its new-generation data relay satellites into orbit that will provide data relay, measurement, and control services for its manned spacecraft.

The satellite is developed by the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

ISRO’s PSLV-C45 launched today

ISRO’s PSLV-C45 has successfully put the electronic intelligence satellite EMISAT in the 749 km orbit.

PSLV-C45 took off from Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota with EMISAT as well as 28 satellites from Spain (1), Lithuania (2), Switzerland (1) and the United States (24) as part of its payload.

This will be the 47th mission for ISRO’s PSLV programme

Hyper local connectivity app - Bhonga

The Mumbai-based company Linkus Infratech has launched a hyper-local connectivity app called "Bhonga" to connect users to people in their neighborhood in the city even without an Internet connection.

Bhonga" is a word in the Marathi language that translates to meaning megaphone or loudspeaker.

The app is in the process of collaborating with partners like blood-banks, ambulances.

Committees & Recommendations

CPWD set up committee

The Central Works Public Department (CPWD) constituted an expert committee to formulate a design policy for building construction and infrastructure development.

The committee has been set up under the chairmanship of CPWD’s Additional Director General M K Sharma.

The move is aimed at reviving building construction and infrastructure development at all levels in the CPWD.

Anti-hijack panel revamped

The government of India has revamped its high-level anti-hijack panel to include top officials of the Prime Minister’s Office, especially National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

He will be empowered to coordinate any immediate military response.

The panel will be called the Committee of Secretaries on Aircraft Hijack (COSAH).

The panel will be headed by Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha.

All public payments digital: RBI panel

A RBI committee may recommend that all government payments to citizens should be made digitally, one person aware of the matter said, requesting anonymity.





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The move seeks to ensure higher adoption of digital payments among the masses.

The 5-member panel called Committee on Deepening of Digital Payments was led by former Unique Identification Authority of India chairman Nandan Nilekani.

Jalan Panel report in June

A 6-member panel looking into the appropriate capital reserves the RBI should maintain is likely to submit its report by June.

The committee, headed by former RBI governor Bimal Jalan, was appointed on December 26, 2018, to review the RBI’s economic capital framework (ECF).

It was to submit its report in 90 days from the first day of its meeting held on January 8.

NGT set central monitoring panel

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) constituted a Central Monitoring Committee to ensure the implementation of action plan meant for reducing pollution stretches across the country.

It will undertake a national initiative by way of preparation and enforcement of a national plan to make river stretches pollution-free.

The panel will coordinate with States to oversee the action plans.

NGT formed committee

The National Green Tribunal formed a committee to look into the alleged erosion of Yamuna floodplain in Haryana's Sonipat district.

The nodal agency for coordination and compliance will be the principal secretary of the Haryana Irrigation and Water Resources Department.

The joint report may be furnished within 1 month by e-mail so that matter can be taken up before monsoon.

Panel set up to oversee Essar Steel

Essar Steel’s committee of creditors (CoC) has set up a monitoring committee to oversee the operations of the steel firm and ensure a smooth transition to ArcelorMittal.

The monitoring committee is headed by resolution professional Satish Gupta.

The lenders — SBI, IDBI Bank, ICICI and Edelweiss Asset Reconstruction Company — have their representatives as members of the monitoring committee.

Business & Economy

India raised import duty on wheat to 40%

India has raised its import duty on wheat to 40% from 30% to support local farmers.

India is the world’s No. 2 producer of the grain.

Local wheat prices have fallen over 11% in 2019 due to ample supply from last year’s crop and forecasts of record output.

RBI proposed strict rules

India’s Central Bank, the RBI would tighten rules on opening and operating current accounts of corporate borrowers

This would be done to prevent the diversion of funds.

The rules would be applicable to corporates who have borrowed and used credit facilities of more than Rs 50 crore from the banking system.

Wirecard expands partnership with RBL Bank

Wirecard, a digital financial technology provider, announced an expanded partnership with RBL Bank to promote financial inclusion in India.

This partnership will make digital payment and banking transactions more readily accessible to all Indian citizens.

Wirecard will empower its retail agents, who serve as customer service representatives in various areas across the country,

IndusInd Bank & BFI merger approved

National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved the merger of IndusInd Bank with Bharat Financial Inclusion (BFIL).

The merger will be completed within 2-4 weeks.

Post-merger, BFIL will become a subsidiary of the Bank.

Bharat Financial Inclusion Limited BFIL is a non-banking finance company, licensed by the Reserve Bank of India.





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Platform for Cryptocurrency Trading launched

BuyUcoin, the second oldest Cryptocurrency Exchange in India, has announced the launch of a new and unique platform for wholesale cryptocurrency trading.

The platform allows its users to trade on a large scale with low price fluctuations.

It currently works on free trading model i.e. charges zero fees on any trade.

The platform is aptly described and known as OTC (Over-the-counter) desk.

RBI first to begin interest rate easing cycle

The Reserve Bank of India is the first central bank in the Asia-Pacific region to begin an explicit interest rate easing cycle buoyed by benign food inflation and easier global financial condition.

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has cut rates in February and April 2019.

The RBI has cut policy interest rates twice by 0.25% each to a one-year low of 6%.

Kotak Bank launches debit card-based e-mandate

Kotak Mahindra Bank launched a debit card-based authentication solution on NPCI’s e-Mandate API platform.

With this, the bank has become the first Destination Bank to go live with Net Banking and Debit Card-based e-mandate authentication.

It will enable its customers to create electronic mandates via both the Debit Card and Net Banking channels.

Global warming shrank economy by 31%

According to a Stanford study, global warming has caused the Indian economy to be 31% smaller than it would have been.

The study shows how Earth's temperature changes have increased inequalities.

It showed that growing concentrations of greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere since the 1960s have enriched cool countries like Norway and Sweden.

'Total Health Secure Goal' plan launched

Bajaj Allianz General Insurance and Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance in collaboration launched their first product 'Total Health Secure Goal'.

The new insurance product is a combination of two existing plans: Health Guard policy by Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, and iSecure from Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance.

A customer can opt for a Plan with a sum insured that ranges from Rs 1.5 to Rs 50 Lakh

Microsoft topped trillion-dollar mark

Microsoft hit the trillion-dollar value mark for the first time, becoming the third technology giant to reach the symbolic milestone.

Shares in Microsoft rallied some 5% to USD 130.59 in early Wall Street trade after a robust earnings report a day earlier.

That gave Microsoft a market capitalization of just over USD 1 trillion, before dipping back slightly.

Textile Ministry

The Union Ministry of Textiles is in talks with the Japanese Government and some companies in the U.S. to support the Indian textile industry with technology for speciality fibre and related products.

Two committees have been formed in regard to this: One for speciality fibre and one to see how to take the segment forward.

RBI asked banks to disclose NPA results

RBI has asked banks and financial institutions to disclose the non-performing assets (NPA) stemming from their exposure to Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Limited (IL&FS) in their upcoming results announcements.

An account becomes non-performing if repayment is due for more than 90 days.

Banks have to set aside capital as provisions for NPAs.

'Plaints to RBI ombuds increased 25% in FY18

The number of complaints by bank customers to the RBI's banking ombudsman increased by 24.9% in the financial year 2017-18 as compared to the previous year.

The major grounds of complaints received during the year were non-observance of fair practices code (22.1%), ATM and debit card issues (15.1%), credit card issues (7.7%), failure to meet commitments (6.8%).

Agriculture prices to fall 2.6%: World Bank

Agriculture prices are projected to fall 2.6% this year but are estimated to rebound in 2020 due to lower crop production and higher costs for energy and fertilisers.

Agricultural and food prices are expected to remain stable over the medium term.

The outlook by the World bank also adds that in 2020, agricultural prices are expected to rise by 1.7%.

RBI sold entire stake in NHB

RBI has exited the National Housing Bank (NHB) and the National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development (Nabard), by selling its entire stakes to government for Rs 1,450 crore and Rs 20 crore.

With this divestment, the government now holds 100 percent stake in both these financial institutions.

RBI has Rs.3 lakh cr in excess reserve

Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofAML) notified the excess reserves that RBI holds could be up to Rs.3 lakh crore ($43 billion) or 1.5% of the GDP (Gross Domestic Product).





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This also includes the excess capital in contingency reserves and revaluation reserves.

The BofAML report stated that capping overall reserves at 20% from 25.5% will release Rs. 1.96 lakh crore.

ICRA estimated 7-7.5 GW solar power addition

Rating agency ICRA has estimated 7-7.5 GW solar power capacity addition during the current financial year, which includes 1 GW of rooftop solar power.

Solar capacity addition is estimated to have remained subdued at around 6 GW to 6.5 GW in the financial year 2018-19.

Tendered project awards for solar PV (photovoltaic) projects during CY 2018 stood at about 11 GW against 4.5 GW in CY 2017.

Money Loji launched app to offer loans

Money Loji, has launched its App, which offers quickest and the most secure loans to salaried professionals for an immediate requirement.

It has flexible repayment options starting from 7 days to a maximum of 90 days.

The eligibility criterion is a minimum in-hand salary of Rs 20,000 per month and a minimum age of 23 years.

Pharma exports rose to 11% in 2018-19

The country's pharmaceutical exports rose by 11% to USD 19.2 billion in 2018-19, mainly driven by higher demand in regions such as North America and Europe.

The pharma exports in 2017-18 stood at USD 17.3 billion and USD 16.7 billion in the previous fiscal.

North America constitutes about 30% of Indian pharma exports, followed by Africa and the European Union with 19% and 16% share.

Authorised capital of Allahabad Bank raised

State-owned Allahabad Bank said the government has increased its authorised capital by ₹5,000 crore to ₹8,000 crore.

The central government increased the authorised capital of the bank from ₹3,000 to ₹8,000 through Gazette Notification.

The increase in authorised capital will help enable the bank to raise further fund up to a maximum ceiling of ₹8,000 crore.

Import of milk products from China banned

The government extended the ban on import of milk and its products, including chocolates, from China.

Food regulator FSSAI had recommended extending the ban until all labs at ports are modernised to test the chemical.

The ban was first imposed in September 2008 and extended subsequently from time to time.

RBI swap auction got bid more than thrice

The second dollar-rupee buy/sell auction saw healthy demand with the RBI getting 255 bids worth $18.65 billion compared with the notified amount of $5 billion.

The cut-off premium was 838 paisa compared with 776 paisa the last time.

The liquidity injected in the first leg was Rs. 34,874 crore.

Leather exports rose 8% in FY19

India registered about 8% growth in export of leather, leather products and footwear during 2018-19 and is aiming to achieve 9% to 10% growth during the current fiscal.

In rupee terms, exports during 2018-19 grew to Rs. 36,562.34 crore from Rs. 33,894.71 crore in the corresponding year-earlier period.

For the current year, CLE is aiming to achieve 9% to 10% growth.

SEBI tweaked norms for REITs, InvITs

SEBI has reduced the minimum subscription requirement as well as defined trading lots for Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs).

REITs have to offer their units in lots worth at least Rs. 50,000 in initial and follow-on public offers.

The minimum value of a single lot should be Rs. 1 lakh in the case of InvITs.

HDFC to hold 9.9% stake in Bandhan Bank

The RBI has given its nod to HDFC Ltd. for acquiring up to 9.9% stake in Bandhan Bank following the Gruh Finance deal.

Gruh Finance, the affordable housing finance arm of HDFC Ltd., was taken over by Bandhan Bank in a share-swap deal in January 2019.

After the announcement of the deal, an application was made by HDFC to the RBI for holding shares in Bandhan Bank, HDFC Ltd.

SBI GI launched cyber defense insurance

SBI General Insurance launched its new product – cyber defence insurance to protect businesses from financial and reputational losses due to cyber attacks.

The main focus on SMEs and mid-market businesses to larger businesses.

This offers protection against the growing threat of cyber breaches like hacking attacks, identity theft, and business interruption.

Sixth Sense Ventures invested in MyHealthcare

MyHealthcare, a digital integrated healthcare ecosystem has raised $3 million from Sixth Sense Ventures, as part of its ongoing Series A fundraise.





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MyHealthcare works with hospitals, diagnostics, and speciality health institutions in building their digital health business.

It had raised $2 million in 2018, led by Hunch Ventures and Ajay Nanavati.

IL&FS to sell wind portfolio to GAIL

Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS) has agreed to sell its 874 megawatts (MW) operational wind energy portfolio to GAIL (India) Ltd for ₹4,800 crore.

GAIL’s offer of ₹4,800 crore at 100% enterprise valuation implies that the accumulated debt of ₹3,700 crore on the wind power special purpose vehicles (SPVs) will be fully repaid.

ZestMoney raised $20 million funding

ZestMoney has raised $20 million in its Series B round led by Quona Capital, a venture capital firm focused on financial technology products.

Australian fintech investor, Reinventure, and existing investors Ribbit Capital, Omidyar Network and PayU also participated in the round.

The new funding will support the company’s expansion plans for 2019.

Saudi Aramco to acquire Royal Dutch Shell

Saudi Aramco will acquire Royal Dutch Shell's 50% stake in their Saudi refining joint venture SASREF for $631 million.

Saudi Aramco Shell Refinery Co (SASREF), based in Jubail Industrial City in Saudi Arabia, has a crude oil refining capacity of 305,000 barrels per day (bpd).

Shell has sold over $30 billion of assets in recent years as it shifts its focus to lower carbon businesses.

BoM joins M1Xchange TReDS platform

Bank of Maharashtra (BoM) partnered with M1Xchange Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS) platform for MSME bill discounting.

TReDS is a digital platform to support micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to get their bills financed at a competitive rate through an auction where multiple registered financiers can participate.

TReDS platform facilitates a smooth flow of liquidity.

Cholamandalam Insurance gets ISO certification

Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Limited has been certified with ISO 31000:2018.

ISO 31000:2018 is an international risk management standard.

The standard provides guidelines, principles, framework, and a process for managing risk.

It can be used by any organization regardless of its size, activity or sector.

The Certificate is valid for a period of 3 years.

CRISIL to transfer rating business

CRISIL Ltd, a diversified global analytics company, will transfer its rating business to its proposed new wholly-owned subsidiary.

The board of CRISIL gave the nod for the transfer, which is being done to comply with SEBI norms of last year.

SEBI modified its regulations for credit rating agencies and mandated the segregation of rating and non-ratings businesses of credit-rating agencies.

Non-life insurers witness 13% rise in premium

According to data from IRDAI, Non-life insurance firms registered a rise of 13% in their collective premium income to Rs 1.70 lakh crore in March 2019.

The 34 non-life insurers had a gross premium of Rs 1.51 lakh crore in 2017-18.

Among these insurers, as many as 25 are categorised as general insurers, seven private sector insurers while the rest of the two are government-owned insurers.

Reliance retail crosses Rs 1L cr revenue

Reliance retail has become the first Indian retail company to clock more than Rs 1 lakh crore in annual revenues.

The retail venture of Reliance Industries reported an income of Rs 1,30,556 crore for 2018-19, 89% more than the previous year.

It reported Rs 6,201 crore as profit before depreciation, interest, and taxes (PBDIT) for the year against Rs 2,529 crore in FY18, an increase of 145%.

Tata Sponge to shift base to Kolkata

Tata Sponge Iron Ltd has decided to shift its registered office from Keonjhar in Odisha to Kolkata.

Tata Sponge has recently acquired Kolkata- based Usha Martin's steel business at a cost of Rs 4,090 crore.

In 1991, Tata Steel acquired Ipicol's entire stake and Tata Sponge became an associate company of Tata Steel.

Gold imports dipped 3% in FY19

The country’s gold imports dipped about 3% in value terms to $32.8 billion during 2018-19, which trend is expected to keep a lid on the current account deficit.

Total imports of the precious metal in 2017-18 had stood at $33.7 billion, according to data from the Commerce Ministry.

After recording negative growth in February, the imports grew 31.22% to $3.27 billion in March.

Funds to implement 10% EWS quota approved

Union cabinet approved the sanction of Rs 4315.15 crore for the 158 Central Educational Institutions for implementation of reservation in admission to students belonging to Economically Weaker Section (EWS).

Over 2 lakh additional seats will be created in 158 CEIs across the country to implement 10% reservation for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS).





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Fintech startups to test regulatory sandbox

RBI proposed that fintech start-ups could set up a regulatory sandbox or live-testing of innovative products and services.

This would be done in segments such as retail payments, money transfer, artificial intelligence and data analytics in the financial sector.

A regulatory sandbox (RS) refers to live-testing of new products or services in a controlled and test regulatory environment.

Exim Bank funded projects in Rawanda

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said Exim Bank has provided soft loans of USD 266.60 million to Rawanda for various projects.

The funding is done in 3 separate tranches to support agricultural projects, development of special economic zones (SEZs) and for financing road projects.

USD 66.60 million will be funded for the Base-Butaro-Kidaho Road Project.

I-T Dept proposes new norms for taxing MNCs

The income tax department proposed a change in the methodology for taxing multinational companies (MNCs).

This includes digital firms, having permanent establishment in India by giving weightage to factors like domestic sales, employee strength, assets and user base.

MNCs that are incurring global losses or a global profit margin of less than 2% will be deemed to have made a profit of 2%.

UPI payments now live on ETMONEY app

ETMONEY has integrated Unified Payments Interface (UPI) as a payment option on the application.

The company hopes to simplify the user journey through the app, especially for making payments for mutual funds.

It has set a target to grow to Rs 5,000 crore in mutual fund transactions in the next 12-18 months and is targeting 10 million users by the end of the current year.

Uber won $1bn investment from Toyota

Toyota and SoftBank Vision Fund unveiled an investment of $1 billion in U.S. company Uber to drive forward the development of driverless ridesharing services.

Toyota has already invested $500 million in Uber as the firm races Google-owned Waymo and a host of other companies, including major automakers, to develop self-driving vehicles.

Canara Bank: 1st to meet RBIs EMV mandate

Canara Bank has successfully rolled out major new functionality to support EMV card acquiring across its ATM network and Aadhaar Authentication.

It is the first public sector bank to shift to EMV chip and PIN for card present transactions across the country’s vast ATM network.

The EMV shift is aimed at reducing lost and stolen card fraud and making counterfeit card fraud more difficult.

Mitsui to buy Reliance ethane carrier fleet

Reliance Industries Ltd' wholly owned subsidiary Reliance Ethane Holding Pte. Ltd is selling its fleet of six very large ethane carriers (VLECs) through an investment deal with Japanese shipping group Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd.

RIL has 100% holding in six limited liability companies (LLCs) which own the VLECs.

FMCG growth to slow down in 2019

India's fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry is likely to grow at a slower pace at 11-12% in 2019, almost 2% lower than that in 2018, as per a report.

The industry is also expected to grow at 12-13% during the April to June quarter of the calender year 2019, according to Nielsen.

In line with the FMCG growth forecast for Q1 2019 at 13-14%, this sector grew at 13.6%.

Govt bonds issuance jumped to Rs. 64,192 cr.

The issuances of government-fully serviced bonds (GoI-FSBs) rose to ₹64,192 crore in the year ended March 2019 as compared to ₹15,095 crore during the last fiscal.

These borrowings are estimated to have accounted for 0.34% of GDP for FY19 as compared to 0.09% of GDP for FY18.

The total outstanding value of these GoI-FSBs stood at ₹88,454 crore at the end of FY19, according to Icra.

Govt targetes IRCTC, IRFC IPOs

The government is targeting to raise about ₹1,500 crore from initial public offerings (IPOs) of two railway companies, IRCTC and IRFC, by September 2019.

Earlier in April 2019, the government raised about ₹480 crore by selling 12.12% stake in Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL).

The government has budgeted to raise ₹90,000 crore by way of CPSE disinvestment in the current financial year.

IDRBT set up 5G lab for banking sector

The Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT) has launched a 5G Use Cases Lab for banking and financial sector.

The 5G technology, along with blockchain, will be progressively adopted by banks.

The use of 5G will change a range of technologies and applications including point of sale machines in the banking sector which were now using 2G.

Banks must flag bad loans





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RBI told the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) that banks had an obligation to mark bad loans as non-performing asset (NPA) after the default of 90 days.

The banking sector regulator has moved the NCLAT seeking a modification of its February 25 order.

An asset is tagged as non performing when it ceases to generate income for the lender.

China's GDP grew by 6.4%

China's economy grew 6.4% in the first quarter of 2019, slightly more than expected.

China's GDP reached 21.343 trillion yuan in the first 3 months of 2019, and the growth pace was the same with that of the fourth quarter of 2018.

The first quarter GDP growth was in the range of 6% to

6.5% target fixed by the Chinese government for this

year.

Commerce industry laid down new procedure

The commerce ministry has laid down a procedure for import of a few varieties of pulses for the current fiscal and has invited applications from millers.

According to the ministry's foreign trade arm DGFT, millers and refiners of these pulses need license for imports.

Procedure for import of 2 lakh tonne pigeon peas/toor dal, 1.5 lakh tonne urad dal, & 1.5 lakh tonne moong dal, is laid down.

Eligible NBFCs to get license

Systematically important non-deposit taking NBFCs offering foreign exchange transactions on individual accounts will be eligible to obtain Authorised Dealer (AD) Category-II licence from it.

AD-Cat II means entities that are authorised by the RBI to deal in foreign exchange for specified purposes.

These include upgraded full-fledged money changers (FFMCs), and select regional rural banks.

ADB provided loan to India

ADB committed to provide $3 billion in sovereign loans to India in 2018, the highest level of assistance since sovereign operations began in the country in 1986.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB), owned by 68 member countries, committed a total of USD 3.88 billion.

New commitments included USD 21.6 billion in loans, grants and investments from ADB's own resources.

RBI put Rs 50 notes into circulation

The RBI has put into circulation 50 rupees denomination banknotes signed by its Governor Shaktikanta Das.

The design of these notes is similar in all respects to 50 banknotes in Mahatma Gandhi new series.

All banknotes in the denomination of 50 issued by the Reserve Bank in the past will continue to be legal tender.

Volkswagen to expand corporate business

Volkswagen announced the expansion of its corporate business centre (CBC) programme in India with the addition of 10 more such outlets across its sales network over the next three months.

The company had first introduced CBC as a pilot project in Kochi. It was further introduced in Coimbatore.

12 months to sell non-crore assets

State-run companies will have 12 months to monetise non-core assets identified by a ministerial panel, failing which the finance ministry may restrict budgetary allocations to the CPSEs.

The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) issued the guidelines for monetisation of non-core assets of CPSEs and immovable enemy properties, following a Cabinet decision in February.

India's service exports rose 5.5%

India's services exports rose 5.5% to $16.58 billion in February 2018-19 from $15.71 billion in the same month a year ago, as per the data from RBI.

However, the exports during February 2019 were lower than January's USD 17.75 billion.

Services imports in February 2018-19 declined by 3.3% to USD 9.81 million, as per the RBI data on 'India's International Trade in Services: February 2019'.

Exports outspace imports at 11%

India’s exports rose to a five-month high of 11% in March on account of higher growth mainly in pharma, chemicals and engineering sectors.

It marked the outbound shipments at $331 billion for FY 2018-19.

Merchandise exports in March stood at $32.55 billion as against $29.32 billion last year.

This is the best growth rate for exports since October 2018, when shipments grew by 17.86%

NBFCs raised Rs. 26,000 crore

Non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) and microfinance companies (MFIs) raised about Rs. 26,200 crore through securitisation in FY19, a growth of 170% over FY18.

In FY18, NBFCs and MFIs raised Rs. 9,700 crore through securitisation.

The sectors faced tight liquidity conditions in FY19 after a series of defaults by Infrastructure Leasing and Finance Services (IL&FS).

India narrowed trade deficit with China

India cut its trade deficit with China by the most in more than a decade.

India's exports to China jumped 31% year-on-year to $17 billion in the financial year ended March 31, 2019.





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In the process, it cut the bilateral trade deficit by $10 billion to $53 billion.

Major decline in India's steel export

India's steel export to the US in 2018 declined by 49% to USD 372 million, while that of aluminum increased by 58% to USD 221 million.

The Report was given by the independent Congressional Research Service (CRS).

In 2018, the US imports of steel and aluminum products totaled USD 29.5 billion and USD 17.6 billion respectively.

WPI inflation spiked to 3.18% in March

Wholesale price-based inflation rose for the second consecutive month to 3.18% in March on costlier food and fuel, as per a government data.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation was at 2.93% in February. It was 2.74% in March 2018.

Inflation in ‘Fuel and power’ category also spiked to 5.41%, from 2.23% in February.

Industrial growth declines to 20-month low

Industrial growth slowed In February 2019 to 0.1%, driven by an across-the-board slowdown, especially in key sectors like manufacturing, mining, capital goods, and infrastructure.

Growth in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) slowed in February from 1.44% in January.

Within the Index, the mining and quarrying sector saw growth slowing to 2% from 3.92% over the same period.

Banks close FY19 with 13.24% credit growth

According to the Reserve Bank data released on 11 April 2019, bank credit rose 13.24% to Rs 97.67 lakh crore for the fortnight to 29 March 2019.

The deposits grew by 10.03% to Rs 125.72 lakh crore during the same period.

In FY17, aggregate deposits in the banking system grew a mere 6.7% in 2017-18, while credit grew still lower at 4.54%, the lowest since fiscal 1963.

Hong Kong is third-largest stock market

Hong Kong beat Japan to become the world's third-largest stock market.

It is now only behind the US and mainland China.

Hong Kong’s market cap was $5.78 trillion compared with $5.76 trillion for Japan.

Jet Airways halts international flights

Jet Airways cancelled all international flights until 15th April.

This includes flights from London, Paris and Amsterdam.

Jet Airways is saddled with more than $1billion of debt.

Vinay Dube is the CEO of Jet Airways.

Retail inflation up to 2.86% in March

Retail inflation rose to 2.86% in March this year due to increase in prices of food articles and fuel.

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation reported that the inflation based on Consumer Price Index was 2.57% in February 2019.

It was 4.28% in March 2018.

RBI issues norms for currency chests

Reserve Bank of India has issued guidelines for banks to set up new currency chests.

These guidelines include a minimum area of 1,500 square feet for strong room and a processing capacity of 6.6 lakh pieces of banknotes per day.

For banks situated in hilly or inaccessible places, this capacity should be 2.1 lakh pieces of banknotes per day.

SEBI came up with system audit framework

Sebi came out with revised guidelines for system audit to be conducted by mutual funds and asset management companies (AMCs).

Besides, mutual funds (MFs)/ AMCs have been directed to constitute a technology committee entrusted with the task of reviewing the cyber security and cyber resilience framework for MFs and AMCs.

Indian foreign investment rose by 18%

Foreign investment of Indian companies grew 18% to USD 2.69 billion in March as compared to the year-ago period, according to an RBI data.

The domestic firms made investment of USD 2.28 billion in their subsidiaries and wholly-owned units abroad during March 2018.

In February 2019, the investment by Indian firms stood at USD 1.71 billion.

Reinsurance brokers can open FC accounts

Reinsurance brokers have been permitted by RBI to open non-interest bearing foreign currency accounts with banks for undertaking transactions.

Foreign currency account refers to a bank account held or maintained in currency other than the currency of India or Nepal or Bhutan.

Earlier, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India had issued a notification in this regard.

GPF interest retained at 8% for April-June

The government has retained the interest rate for General Provident Fund (GPF) and other related schemes at 8% for the April-June quarter.

The interest rate will be applicable on provident funds of central government employees, railways and defence forces.

The rate is in line with that of the Public Provident Fund.

EI launched banking via Whatsapp





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Emirates Islamic announced the launch of Chat Banking services for customers via WhatsApp, marking a global first in the Islamic banking sector.

The bank’s customers will now be able to conduct daily banking activities via WhatsApp in a seamless and hassle-free manner.

It is supported by Infobip and allows customers to use features such as checking account balances and more.

HDFC AMC ranked 1st

HDFC Asset Management Co. Ltd has claimed the top spot with an average AUM of Rs.3.42 trillion.

It overtook ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co. Ltd with an average AUM of at Rs.3.20 trillion.

India’s asset management companies (AMCs) own assets under management (AUM) worth Rs24.46 trillion, according to data released by the Association of Mutual Funds in India (Amfi).

GlowRoad got $10 mn funding

Social commerce platform GlowRoad has raised $10 million in a Series B funding round led by China’s CDH Investment.

CDH Investment's other investments in India include Mayfair and Cashify, an online platform for selling used electronic products.

GlowRoad was founded in 2017 by Sonal Verma, Kunal Sinha, Nitesh Pant, Shekhar Sahu, and Nilesh Padariya.

BSNL collected Rs 6500 crore revenue

BSNL has collected a record revenue of ₹6,500 crore from enterprise segment, making it sufficiently funded, which will help in meeting its various requirement.

BSNL has been ailing because of a high revenue-to-wage ratio as a large number of government employees were transferred by the telecom department to the telecom PSU.

SC to pay $1.1 billion for violations

Standard Chartered agreed to pay $1.1 billion to US and British authorities for illegal financial transactions.

A former banker at the Dubai branch pleaded guilty in New York state court in connection with the conspiracy to violate sanctions.

SC paid US authorities $667 million in 2012 for illegally moving millions of dollars through the US financial system.

SBI cut interest rates on home loans

The State Bank of India has re-priced home loans up to Rs 30 lakh by 10 basis points.

Accordingly, the interest rate on housing loans of such size will now be in the range of 8.6 to 8.9%.

The bank has also lowered its lending rates by a nominal five basis points across all tenors.

IMF forecasts dipped in global growth

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected that global growth will be 3.3% in 2019, down from 3.6% in 2018 and 4% in 2017.

This lower projection is due to lower global expansion in the second half of 2018 caused because of factors like U.S.-China trade tensions.

India’s growth is projected to pick up (from 7.1% in 2018) to 7.3% in 2019 and 7.5% in 2020

India's gold reserves increased

India has marginally increased its gold holding in February while maintaining the tenth position among countries in terms of yellow metal reserves, as per the World Gold Council.

India added 1.7 tonnes in February 2019 while most other countries, barring Russia and China, saw their reserves unchanged in the recent past.

As per WGC, India had total gold reserves of 608.7 tonnes in February.

YouTube's largest growing market: India

India has become YouTube’s largest and fastest growing market with 265 million Indians watching the video-sharing website every month.

In the last one year, YouTube’s consumption on mobile has increased to 85%, with 60% of the watch time coming from outside the six largest metros in India.

YouTube has more than 1,200 Indian creators crossing the million subscriber-milestone.

Avaada Energy raised Rs.1000 crore from ADB

Avaada Energy Pvt Ltd raised ₹1,000 crore from investors such as the Asian Development Bank on 9 April 2019.

The equity raised is for financing Avaada Energy’s 2.4 gigawatt (GW) renewable energy portfolio.

Avaada Group is targeting a 5 GW capacity and has executed 2 GW of renewable energy project in India.

PNB Housing Stake sale to boost PNB capital

The PNB's 13% stake sale in PNB Housing Finance for ₹18.5 billion will strengthen the bank's capital, as per Moody's.

The report said that it estimates the sale will increase PNB's Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio by about 40 basis points from the 6.9% reported in December 2018.

The bank's pro forma CET1 ratio exceeds the Basel III March 2019 regulatory requirement of 7.375%.

Singapore sold 6.8 crore shares of DLF

Singapore government sold 6.8 crore shares of DLF for ₹1,298 crore through open market transaction, with its stock price tumbling sharply by over 8%.

Singapore government held around 7.32 crore shares in DLF as on December 31, 2018 quarter, which were worth 4.11% stake in the realty company.





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Shares of the company closed at ₹184.60, 8.43% lower on the NSE.

Coffee Day formed joint venture with Impact

Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd, along with its subsidiary Coffee Day Global Ltd, announced that Japanese company Impact HD will acquire a 49% stake Coffee Day Consultancy Services Pvt. Ltd for $15 million.

Post subscription of equity shares by Impact HD, CDEL and CDGL will hold 51 % of the paid-up equity capital of CDCSPL.

Coffee Day group will have 51% stake in the joint venture.

PVs grew 2.7% in FY19

The passenger vehicle (PV) segment grew 2.7% in 2018-19, the slowest pace in the last five years, according to the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

According to SIAM data, passenger vehicle sales in the last fiscal stood at 33,77,436 units, compared to 32,88,581 units in 2017-18.

This is the slowest pace of growth for the industry since 2013-14, when sales declined 6.7%.

RBI issued norms for banks

The Reserve Bank of India came out with guidelines for banks to set up new currency chests, which include a minimum area of 1,500 square feet for a strong room.

Besides, the new chests should have a processing capacity of 6.6 lakh pieces of banknotes per day.

For those situated in the hilly/ inaccessible places, a capacity of 2.1 lakh pieces of banknotes per day.

SEBI gave nod for Airport fund

SEBI has approved an ‘Airport’ specific fund of capital up to Rs 10,000 crore as a Category II AIF.

Chennai-based ‘Taking Off To The Future Investment Management LLP’ is the sponsor and the investment manager of the fund.

The management and operation of ‘Sponsor/Investment Manager’ is led by its designated partner Gigi George.

Coal import rose to 8% in Apr-Feb FY 2019

India's coal import increased by 7.8% to 212.11 million tonnes in the April-February period of FY19 as per a report.

The country produced 196.59 million tonnes (MT) of coal in the April-February period of fiscal 2017-18, according to the report by mjunction services.

Coal imports in the month of February was at 18.31 MT (provisional) as compared to 21.15 MT (revised) in January 2019.

BPEA to acquire 30% stake in NIIT Tech

Baring Private Equity Asia (BPEA) agreed to buy a 30% stake in NIIT Technologies Ltd for about ₹2,627 crore ($381 million).

Funds affiliated with BPEA have signed definitive agreements to purchase the stake totalling 18.85 million shares of NIIT Technologies from NIIT Ltd and other promoter entities.

Baring will acquire the shares at ₹1,394 apiece.

India's eco growth driven by domestic demand

According to World Bank India's economic growth has been driven by domestic demand and its exports were about one-third of its potential.

According to World Bank the next government needs to focus on export-led growth in India.

In the last five years, India's overall growth was "too much" driven by domestic demand.

Fitch affirms India's rating at BBB-

Fitch Ratings kept India's sovereign rating unchanged at the lowest investment grade of BBB- with a stable outlook.

Fitch expects growth of 6.8% in the fiscal year ending March 2020 (FY 20) and 7.1% in FY 21.

Gross FDI inflows into India of 1.4% of GDP in the year through the third quarter of FY 18 were below 1.7% of GDP four years earlier.

RBI sets WMA Limit for Government

The Reserve Bank of India has decided that the limits for Ways and Means Advances (WMA) for the first half of the financial year 2019-20 will be Rs 75000 crore.

The interest rate on WMA will be Repo Rate and overdraft will be 2% above the Repo Rate.

RBI may trigger fresh flotation of market loans when the Government of India utilises 75% of the WMA limit.

L&T gets CCI approval

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved Larsen and Toubro Ltd's (L&T's) takeover bid for Mindtree Ltd.

The L&T-Mindtree deal is the first hostile takeover bid in the Indian IT industry.

The L&T will purchase up to 66.32% stake in the Bengaluru-based IT services firm for around ₹10,700 crore.

RBI lowered GDP growth forecast to 7.2%

The RBI lowered the GDP growth forecast for the current fiscal to 7.2% from the earlier estimate of 7.4% amid probability of El Nino effects on monsoon rains and uncertain global economic outlook.

It had projected the GDP growth for 2019-20 at 7.4%,

RBI tweaked LCR norms to boost liquidity

RBI provided additional 2% liquidity window to the lenders by tweaking liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) norms.





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The LCR indicates the proportion of highly liquid assets held by banks to ensure their ability to meet short-term obligations.

NBFCs-NDSI in the category of Investment and Credit Companies (ICCs) will be made eligible to apply for Authorised Dealer Category II licence.

IL&FS arm’s gross NPAs stand at 90%

IL&FS Financial Services Ltd. (IFIN), reported a gross non-performing asset (NPA) ratio of 90% as at end December 2018.

The gross NPAs were around 5% in March 2018.

IFIN’s total exposure as on March 31, 2019 was ₹18,805 crore, of which external exposure was ₹10,656 crore and exposure to the group, ₹6,949 crore. About ₹1,300 crore is categorised as ‘other assets.’

BSNL got license for in-flight connectivity

BSNL has received in-flight and maritime connectivity (IFMC) license from the department of telecommunications (DoT).

People will soon be able to surf the net and send mails and WhatsApp messages while flying in and over Indian airspace.

BSNL has partnered with Inmarsat, a leading global mobile satellite communications player.

SCUF to raise Rs 750 crore

Shriram City Union Finance plans to raise up to ₹ 750 crores through non-convertible debentures (NCD).

The base size of the issue is ₹ 100 crore with an option to retain oversubscription of ₹ 650 crore.

The company is offering three bonds maturing in 2, 3 and 5 years with coupons ranging between 9.55% to 9.75 %, on an annual basis.

RBI cut policy rates by 25 basis points

RBI has reduced its key policy rate by 25 basis points in order to boost private investments and support domestic growth.

It has left the cash reserve ratio unchanged despite a downward revision to growth outlook.

For FY21, the RBI expects inflation to move in the range of 3.8-4.1 %.

Paytm to offer insurance by June

Paytm Payments Bank is planning to launch risk-free insurance and mutual fund products by June 2019.

As on date, the Paytm Payments Bank has 4.4 crore savings bank account with a deposit of over Rs 400 crore; and there are as many as 26 crore wallet accounts.

Paytm Payments Bank was incorporated in August 2016 and formally began its operations in May 2017 from a branch in Noida.

Govt permitted import of maize at 15% duty

The government permitted import of feed grade maize at a concessional import duty of 15% with a view to meet the shortage of the poultry feed in the country.

The import of up to 1 lakh tonne of it will be allowed on actual user condition.

Keeping in view the urgency, the feed grade maize is proposed to be imported under TRQ (tariff rate quota) with certain relaxations and conditions.

ADB cut India's growth by 7.2% in 2019-20

Asian Development Bank (ADB) lowered India’s growth by 40 basis points to 7.2% in fiscal year 2019-20.

It will still be the fastest growing economy in the world.

For entire Asia, the growth will soften to 5.7% in 2019 and 5.6% in 2020.

RBI circulars to banks

The Supreme Court struck down a February 2018 Reserve Bank of India (RBI) circular giving lender banks six months to resolve their stressed assets or move under the Insolvency Code against private entities who have defaulted in loans worth over Rs. 2000 crore.

The judgment ranges from power to telecom to steel, infrastructure, sugar, and fertiliser.

Manufacturing at 6-month low

Manufacturing activity slowed to a six-month low of 52.6 in March 2019 due to lower levels of new orders and production, according to a private sector survey.

The Nikkei India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index came in at a lower reading in March from 54.3 in February 2019

A reading over 50 implies expansion while one below that denotes a contraction in activity.

4th session of IU-WGTEC held

The 4th Meeting of India-Ukraine Working Group on Trade and Economic Cooperation (IU-WGTEC), was held on 2 April 2019 in New Delhi.

A protocol was signed at the end of the meeting which deals with the review of trade, and cooperation in the field of small and medium entrepreneurship and more.

The Indian delegation was led by Bidyut Behari Swain, Additional Secretary, Foreign Trade (CIS).

Kotak Mahindra Bank to Charge For UPI Use

Kotak Mahindra Bank (Kotak) stated that it will charge customers for UPI transactions starting 1st of May 2019.

For each Kotak Bank account, the first 30 UPI fund transfers will be free, after which a charge will be levied on all fund transfers from the bank account.

This will be applicable across all platforms, including Paytm, PhonePe, Google Pay or Truecaller Pay among others.

Hyundai unveils BlueLink connectivity in India





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Hyundai will soon roll out the ‘BlueLink’ connectivity feature in India.

This will allow users to interact with their cars using voice.

BlueLink is Hyundai’s global technology which will be introduced in the Indian market with 33 features, of which 10 would be India-specific features such as a panic button, for most practical and holistic connectivity.

RBI tweaks NPA divergence disclosure rules

RBI asked banks to disclose bad loan divergences in their financial statements if the additional provisioning exceeds 10% of profit before provision and contingencies.

Earlier, banks were to make suitable disclosures if the additional provisioning requirements assessed by RBI exceeded 15% of the published net profits.

RBI will inject long-term liquidity worth $5 bn into the banking system.

Reliance MF launched Voice-Based Transactions

Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management (RNAM) has joined hands with Google to enable the customers of Reliance Mutual Fund to carry out voice-based financial transactions.

With this, RNAM became the first company in India, to provide a conversational interface that would help customers regarding funds transactions.

Sundeep Sikka is the CEO of Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management.

GST recorded highest collection in FY 2018-19

Total Gross GST revenue collected in the month of March, 2019 is Rs. 1,06,577 crore

CGST is Rs. 20,353 crore, SGST is Rs.27,520 crore, IGST is Rs.50,418 crore (including Rs. 23,521crore collected on imports) and Cess is Rs. 8,286 crore (including Rs. 891crore collected on imports).

The total number of GSTR 3B Returns filed for the month of February up to 31st March, 2019 is 75.95 lakh.

PNB sells 13.01% stake - housing finance

PNB is selling part of its stake in PNB Housing Finance to global private equity firm General Atlantic Group and investment firm Varde Partners for Rs 1,851.60 crore.

PNB will sell 10.89 million equity shares each to General Atlantic and Varde Partners at Rs 850 per share, aggregating to Rs 1851.60 crore.

PNB is an Indian multinational banking and financial services founded in 1894

Sports

India to bid for 2024 World TTC

Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) has decided to bid for the 2024 edition of the biennial World Team Championships.

The last time India hosted a World Championships was way back in 1987.

The last big ITTF event was staged in India was in 2012 when Hyderabad hosted the World Junior Championships.

Indian para-athletes clinched medals

Indian para-athletes secured a silver and two bronze medals at the Asian Road para-cycling championships at Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Divij Shah clinched silver while Asian Para Games bronze medallist Gurlal Singh and Hand cyclist Sudhakar Marathe claimed bronze.

Petra won Maiden Grand Prix 2019

World number three tennis player Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) beat Anett Kontaveit (Estonia) to win Stuttgart’s Porsche Grand Prix for her second title of the year.

Kvitova is a two-time Wimbledon champion.

The championship was held at Stuttgart, Germany.

Dominic won Barcelona Open Title

Dominic Thiem clinched the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell 2019 title held at Barcelona, Spain which was held from April 22- 28, 2019.

He secured 6-4, 6-0.

He became just the fourth player in the past 15 years to lift the title in Barcelona, joining Rafael Nadal, Kei Nishikori, and Fernando Verdasco.

He’s also the first Austrian winner at this event since Thomas Muster in 1996.

Eliud Kipchoge won London Marathon tilte

Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge clinched his fourth London Marathon 2019 crown on 28th April 2019 at London, UK.

Kipchoge strode clear of the field to win with the second fastest-ever time of 2:02:37.

He set the world record time of 2:01.39s at Berlin in 2018.

In the women’s section, Brigid Kosgei won the title.

She finished the course in 2:18:20 and defeated Vivian Cheruiyot and Roza Dereje.

Valtteri Bottas won Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Valtteri Viktor Bottas of Mercedes won Formula 1 State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2019.

He defeated Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton at the Baku City Circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Bottas finished the race 1.5 seconds ahead of Hamilton Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari finished with 3rd position and Max Verstappen Red Bull gained 4th position.

NZ Open Badminton Tournament began

The New Zealand Open Badminton tournament began in Auckland on 30 April 2019.





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Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal will be aiming to win her second title this year.

Parupalli Kashyap, B Sai Praneeth, HS Prannoy, Subhankar Dey and Laskshya Sen will be seen in action in the Men's section.

Raheem: Footballer of the year 2019

Raheem Sterling has been named the 2019 footballer of the year by the Football Writers' Association (FWA).

The Manchester City and England forward topped the poll of the 400-strong FWA membership as a winner, with 62% of the votes.

He was more than 100 votes ahead of Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk.

Claire to become first women umpire

Australia’s Claire Polosak created history as the first woman umpire ever to stand in a men’s One-Day International

She took the field in the final of the ICC World Cricket League Division 2.

She was the first woman to stand in a men’s domestic fixture in Australia in her first List A match in Australia in 2017.

Hima Das included in World Relays team

Hima Das was named in India's women 4x400m relay team for the World Relays to begin in Yokohama, Japan next month.

Hima made the cut despite pulling out of the Asian Athletics Championships in Doha earlier this month due to lower back pain.

She was dropped out midway through her 400-metres heats and was later ruled out of the Women's 4x400m relay and Mixed 4x400m relay races.

ISSF World Cup: India won 3 golds, 1 silver

India topped the standings at the International Shooting Sport Federation, ISSF World Cup on the final day in Beijing, bagging four medals- 3 Gold and a Silver.

Anjum Moudgil and young Divyansh Singh Panwar won a gold in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team competition.

Abhishek Verma won India's third gold in men's 10m Air Pistol event.

Kento Momota won Badminton Championship

World number one Kento Momota retained his Badminton Asia Championships title in Shanghai.

He defeated Shi Yuqi of China 21-12, 11-11, 21-18.

Yamaguchi, a silver medallist two years ago, won the women's crown with a victory over He Bingjiao 21-19, 21-9.

India ended with 16 medals at AWC

India wrapped up their campaign at the Asian Wrestling Championships at Xi'an, China, on a resounding note with 16 medals.

Men's freestyle wrestlers bagged eight medals comprising one gold, three silver and four bronze. Women wrestlers claimed four bronze.

These included Harpreet Singh's silver in 82kg and bronze by Gyanender in 60kg on the final day of the competitions.

India ends with 13 medals at ABC

India has won 13 medals, including two gold, four silver and seven bronze at the Asian Boxing Championships.

Boxer Amit Panghal picked up his second successive gold medal of the year, claiming the top honours in the 52-kilogram category.

National champion Deepak Singh and Kavinder Singh Bisht in 56-kilogram category signed off with silver medals after close losses.

Ajinkya Rahane to join Hampshire

Ajinkya Rahane became the first overseas player from India to join Hampshire as South Africa batsman Aiden Markram's replacement.

With this, Rahane becomes the first Indian cricketer to represent Hampshire.

Rahane will feature in eight county matches from May to July, subject to visa clearance

Stephanie Frappart first woman referee





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French official Stephanie Frappart will become the first woman to referee a Ligue 1 football match.

She has been selected for the game by the French Football Federation.

She will officiate at her second Women's World Cup later this year.

Frappart, 35, was the first woman to referee a Ligue 2 fixture in 2014.

Fabio Fognini won Rolex Montecarlo Masters

Fabio Fognini became the first Italian to win an ATP Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

He defeated Dusan Lajovic 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 38 minutes.

Fognini is the eighth player to win his first Masters 1000 title over the past 17 events at the elite level.

In the 92 ATP Masters 1000 events prior to 2017 Rome, only eight players won their first Masters 1000 crown.

ICF won Arjan Singh Int Hockey Tournament

Integrated Coach Factory, Chennai beat South Central Railway, Hyderabad via penalty shootout in the final to win the 2nd Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh Memorial International hockey tournament title.

A total of 16 teams participated in this tournament.

ICF Chennai won 7-5 in the penalty shootout after the two sides were tied 2-2 at the end of the regulation time.

Advani won Asian Snooker Tour title

India's ace cueist Pankaj Advani defeated Ehsan Heydari Nezhad of Iran 6-4 to claim the inaugural Asian Snooker Tour title.

Advani, a 21-time world snooker and billiards champion, beat Nezhad 52-40, 66(58)-0, 1-63(62), 78-4, 35-47, 0-51, 47-35, 38-39, 53(49)-35, 51(50)-20 in the final.

Advani had earlier won the second leg of the Tour in China.

Divya, Manju won bronze medals in AWC

In Wrestling, India's Divya Kakran and Manju Kumari bagged bronze medals for the country in the women's competition of the Asian Championships in Xi'an, China.

It was double delight for India as Manju also secured a bronze medal earlier in the day by beating Vietnam's Thi Huong Dao 11-2.

Kakran defeated Battsetseg Soronzonbold of Mongolia via fall in the playoffs of the 68-kilogram category.

India bagged 2 gold at ISSF World Cup

In Shooting, India opened its medal account with gold each in 10 m Air Rifle Mixed Team and 10 m Air Pistol Mixed team events on the 3rd day of ISSF World Cup in Beijing.

Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary took the top spot in the 10 m Air Pistol Mixed Team.

Anjum Moudgil and Divyansh Singh Panwar opened the country's gold account in the 10 metres Air Rifle Mixed Team event.

International Hockey Tournament 2019 held

2nd Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh Memorial International Hockey Tournament was held at Astro Turf Hockey Ground, Chandigarh from 15-25 April 2019.

A Total of 16 teams participated in this tournament.

Air Force teams from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka also participated in this edition, making it truly an international event.

Goswami received best sportsperson award

Jhulan Goswami, world's leading wicket-taker in women's one-day internationals, was awarded the Best Sportsperson' award by the Calcutta Sports Journalists' Club.

Sambaran Banerjee and former India winger Sukumar Samajpati won the Lifetime Achievement awards.

Promising Sportsperson of the Year was given to Neelash Saha.

Best footballer was given to Pritam Kotal.

Jadhav bagged bronze: AAC

Asian Games gold medallist heptathlete Swapna Barman and the 4x400m mixed relay team clinched a silver each on the 3rd day of the Asian Athletics Championships.

Sanjivani Jadhav won a bronze in 10000m race on 23 April 2019.

Barman logged 5993 aggregate points from the seven events to finish second behind Ekaterina Vornina (6198 points) of Uzbekistan.

Bajrang Punia won gold in AWC

India clinched one gold, one silver and bronze at the Asian Wrestling Championship in China's Xian on 23 April 2019.

World number one Bajrang Punia claimed a gold medal in it.

He defeated Kazakhstan's Sayatbek Okassov 12-7 in a nail-biting 65kg men's freestyle final.

In 97 Kg category Satywart Kadian, picked a bronze medal defeating Haobin Gao of China by 8-2.

AWC: Jhili won silver

Youth Olympics gold medallist Jeremy Lalrinnunga went on a record-smashing spree at the Asian Weightlifting Championship.

Jeremy secured second place in group B of the 67Kg men’s event. During his record-smashing spree, he claimed three world marks.

Jhili Dalabehera opened India’s medal account, claiming a silver medal in the women’s 45kg category.

BCCI shifted finals to Hyderabad





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The IPL final scheduled on May 12 was shifted from Chennai to Hyderabad after the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) failed to get requisite permission from the government to open the three closed stands.

The 3 stands make up for more than 12,000 tickets and BCCI would have lost out on a few crores of the gate money.

Asian Badminton Championships began

The Asia Badminton Championships began at Wuhan in China on 23 April 2019.

It will continue till 28 April 2019.

India will be represented by Kidambi Srikanth and Sameer Verma in men's singles and P.V. Sindhu and Saina Nehwal in women's singles.

India bagged 5 medals in the opening day: AAC

India won five medals on the opening day of the Asian Athletics Championships on 21 April 2019.

Annu Rani and Avinash Sable led the charge with a silver medal.

M P Poovamma, 5000m runner Parul Choudhary and 10000m runner Gavit Murali Kumar bagged a bronze each.

Asian Weightlifting Championships began

The Asian Weightlifting Championships began in Ningbo, China on 20 April 2019.

The competition will continue till the 28 April 2019.

As many as 278 participants from 28 nations and regions, including China, Japan, South Korea, India, Iran and North Korea have registered for the competition.

Former World Champion, Mirabai Chanu will spearhead India’s challenge at the Championship.

Services lifted Santosh Trophy

In Football, the Services lifted the Santosh Trophy, beating Punjab 1-nil in the final at Ludhiana on 21 April 2019.

In the first half, both the teams were goal-less.

In the second half, Services scored the lone goal and held on till the final whistle.

Services beat Karnataka 4-3 in the semis via a penalty shootout to book a place in the title clash for the 11th time.

Christian Garin claimed his first ATP title

Christian Garin claimed his first ATP title at the US Men's Clay Court Championships.

With this, Garin becomes first Chilean ATP champion in a decade.

He defeated Casper Ruud in the final match.

Garin also won their only previous career meeting last month in Sao Paulo, Brazil and earned his first title in just his 11th career tournament.

Bajrang at top spot in world wrestling

Bajrang Punia regained the world number one spot in the men’s 65kg freestyle category in the rankings issued by United World Wrestling.

He won gold in the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games as well as a silver in the World Championships 2018.

He won a gold at the Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov tournament in Bulgaria in March 2019.

Mirabai to superhead India's campaign

Former World Champion, Mirabai Chanu will spearhead India’s challenge at the Asian Weightlifting Championship, 2019 that began at Ningbo, China on 20 April 2019.

She will be competing in the 49kg category from 48kg following the International Weightlifting Federations’s rejig of weight categories.

Among male weightlifters, India’s hopes will be on Jeremy Lalrinnunga.

Int. Hockey Fed imposed fine on Pakistan

The International Hockey Federation (FIH) imposed a fine of 1,76,000 Euros on Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) for not honouring the Pro League commitments.

The FIH has given the Pakistan sports body time until 20th June to pay the fine or else the penalty would be doubled.

PHF was fined for not sending the national team for the Pro League matches in Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand.

Karnataka, Punjab win in Santosh Trophy

Punjab defeated Sikkim 1-0 while Karnataka thrashed Assam 5-1 in Group B matches on the 8th day of the 73rd National Football Championship for Santosh Trophy.

In the first match of the day, Karnataka proved too good for Assam in a lopsided match.

Punjab skipper Taranjit Singh scored the all-important goal in the 20th minute.

Harsheel Dani won Dutch Title

India’s Harsheel Dani defeated Mads Christophersen of Denmark, world no 149, to clinch the 20th Victor Dutch International Badminton title in Wateringen.

He won the Ghana international crown in 2018 and Karvy All India junior-ranking badminton tournament in 2012.

The Victor Dutch International is the Netherlands’ second biggest badminton event Prize money of $10.000.

Prajnesh Gunneswaran rose to ranking 80

In tennis, India's Prajnesh Gunneswaran achieved a career-high ranking of 80 in the latest ATP rankings released on 15 April 2019.

He broke into the top 100 in February 2019, improved 2 places to become the sixth highest in terms of singles ranking in the history of Indian tennis.





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Another Indian Ramkumar Ramanathan dropped 16 spots to slip out of the top 150. He is now at the 157th position.

Lewis Hamilton won Formula One's 1,000th race

In motor racing, Lewis Hamilton won the Chinese Grand Prix for a record sixth time on 14 April 2019.

He seized the overall lead from his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas in Formula One’s 1,000th world championship race.

Valtteri Bottas was second for his team’s third one-two finish in as many races this season. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel took third place.

Meena Kumari clinched gold in Boxing World Cup

India finished with 5 medals in the Boxing World Cup which concluded at Cologne, Germany on 13 April 2019.

Meena Kumari Maisnam won gold in the 54 kg category.

Sakshi (57 kg) and Pwilao Basumatary (64 kg) settled for the silver.

Pinki Rani (51 kg) and Parveen ( 60 kg) won bronze.

Tiger Woods clinched his 5th Masters

Golfer Tiger Woods clinched his fifth Masters and a 15th major title.

He is just three majors behind the all-time record of Jack Nicklaus.

Burka and Milaw won Paris Marathon

Ethiopians Abrha Milaw and Gelete Burka won the men and women’s races to end Kenya’s dominance at Paris Marathon on 14 April 2019.

Milaw won it in 2 hours, 07 minutes and 04 seconds.

Clémence Calvin of France settled fourth in a personal best of 2:23:36.

Kento Momota won Singapore Open

Japan's Kento Momota won the Singapore Open final 10-21, 21-19, 21-13 on 14 April 2019.

The World champion dug deep to fight back from 16-11 behind in the second game to force a decider.

In the women's final, Tai Tzu-ying claimed her second Singapore Open title with a 21-19, 21-15 victory over Japan's Nozomi Okuhara.

Anand secured 5th place in chess

Viswanathan Anand secured 5th place in the Shamkir Chess 2019 tournament, Shamkir, Azerbaijan.

He drew with Veselin Topalov in the ninth round to finish fourth with 4.5 points, the same as Alexander Grischuk and Teimour Radjabov.

He was placed fifth in the rankings behind Magnus Carlsen, Ding Liren, Sergey Karjakin, and Grischuk.

Inzamam become MCC Honorary Life Members

Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mark Boucher, the former South Africa wicketkeeper, were made Honorary Life Members of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) on 12 April 2019.

The two have been included in recognition of their outstanding achievements in cricket.

Inzamam is now the fifth Honorary Life Member of the MCC from his country, after Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shahid Afridi.

Eni Nuraeni: Best Athletic Coach in Asia

Indonesian Eni Nuraeni was named by Asian Athletic Association (AAA) as the best athletic coach in Asia for the short-haul run category in 2019.

It was announced by Indonesian athletic sports association (PB PASI).

Eni coaches young sprinter Lalu Muhammad Zohri to win the 100m gold medal in 10.20 seconds in the 2019 Grand Prix Malaysia Open athletics championships.

Paralympics medallist won Fellowship

Rio Paralympics silver medallist Deepa Malik was named as the recipient of the New Zealand Prime Minister's Sir Edmund Hillary Fellowship for 2019 in recognition of her 'inspiring achievements'.

She will work to promote sporting, cultural as well people-to-people relationship between India and New Zealand.

She is a recipient of India's civilian honour Padma Shri and the Arjuna Award.

Virat Kohli: Wisden's Leading Cricketer

Team India captain Virat Kohli has been named as the Wisden Almanack’s ‘Leading Cricketer of the Year’ for the third time in a row.

He smashed 2,735 runs in 47 international innings at an average of 68.37 in 2018, including 11 hundred and 9 fifties.

Smriti Mandhana has been named the Women’s Leading Cricketer of the Year for 2018.

Muguruza claimed Monterrey Open Title

Garbine Muguruza of Spain successfully claimed back-to-back Monterrey Open title 2019 as Victoria Azarenka succumbed to injury in the final.

Asia Muhammad & Maria Sanchez claimed women's doubles title in Monterrey Open.

The Monterrey Open is a professional women's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts.

Kushagra Rawat qualified for 2020 Olympics

Indian swimmer Kushagra Rawat qualified for 2020 Olympics on 7 April 2019.

He did so after achieving the B standard of the 800m freestyle event at the Speedo Thailand Age Group Championships in Bangkok.





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Rawat clocked 08.07.99 to cross the Olympic Games B standard qualifying time of 08:08.54 for the men's 800m freestyle event.

Lin Dan clinched Malaysia Open

Chinese badminton ace Lin Dan clinched the Malaysia Open in Kuala Lumpur on 7 April 2019.

After an electric performance, he beat countryman Chen Long 9-21, 21-7, 21-11.

The title is Lin's first win this year, and also his first major success since taking the Malaysia Open in 2017.

Rasikh: 2nd cricketer from J&K to play in IPL

Rasikh Salam Dar has become second ever cricketer from Jammu & Kashmir to play in Indian Premier League.

He made his debut for Mumbai Indians in the tournament.

Parvez Rasool is the first player from Jammu and Kashmir to play in the Indian Premier League.

Indian women's team registered win: Football

In Football, the Indian women's national team registered a 2-0 win over Indonesia in its opening match of the Olympic Qualifiers Round two in Mandalay, Myanmar on 4 April 2019.

With this win, India went a step closer to making it to the 2020 Tokyo Games.

India will face Nepal in the second match of the group stage on 6 April 2019.

India won ICC Test Championship mace

India has won ICC Test Championship mace for the third year in a row after finishing at the top of ICC Test team rankings on the cut-off date of April 1.

India has also been awarded $1-million cash prize.

New Zealand, who are ranked second, won $500,000 prize money after finishing with 108 points, eight behind India.

South Africa finished 3rd with 105 points.

India Open 2019 concluded

The 2019 India Open, officially the YONEX-SUNRISE India Open 2019 badminton tournament concluded.

It took place in New Delhi, India.

Viktor Axelsen of Denmark won in the men’s singles category while India’s Srikanth Kidambi became the runners-up.

Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand won in Women’s singles category.

Lewis Hamilton won Bahrain Grand Prix 2019

Five times world champion Lewis Hamilton won Bahrain Grand Prix 2019.

He defeated Valtteri Bottas of Finland who secured the second position.

Charles Leclerc was finished at the third position and became Ferrari’s youngest ever race winner at the age of 21.

Asian Airgun Championships

India ended the 12th Asian Airgun Championships 2019 in Taiyuan, Taipei, with an overall tally of 25 medals including 16 gold, 5 silver, and 4 bronze.

On the concluding day of the championship, Yash Vardhan and Shreya Agrawal struck gold in the men’s and women’s junior 10m air rifle event respectively.

They also won the team gold in the events with their respective partners.

South Korea won Azlan Shah Hockey Cup

South Korea won the Azlan Shah hockey cup 2019 by defeating India.

South Korea won this for the 3rd time, earlier in 1996 and shared with India in 2010.

The host country for Azlan Shah hockey cup was Malaysia which finished 3rd after defeating Canada by 4-2 goals.

Sports

Sanju Samson became the first player to hit a century in the twelfth edition of the Indian Premier League.

England's Football captain Harry Kane received an MBE award from Prince William at Buckingham Palace following the Three Lions' World Cup heroics.

Roger Federer wins Miami Open with 6-1 6-4 victory over John Isner.

Sports

Elavenil Valarivan dominated the women’s air rifle in winning the gold in the 12th Asian Airgun championships.

Divyansh dominated the men’s air rifle in winning the gold in the 12th Asian Airgun championships.

Chelsea striker Gonzalo Higuain has announced his retirement from the Argentina national team.

Defence

GRSE to build 8 ASWSWCs for Indian Navy

Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE) has been awarded a ₹6,311 crore contract to build 8 anti-submarine warfare shallow watercraft for the Indian Navy.

These crafts are designed for a deep displacement of 750 tons, speed of 25 knots and complement of 57.

ICF won Arjan Singh Int Hockey Tournament

Integrated Coach Factory, Chennai beat South Central Railway, Hyderabad via penalty shootout in the final to win the 2nd Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh Memorial International hockey tournament title.

A total of 16 teams participated in this tournament.





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ICF Chennai won 7-5 in the penalty shootout after the two sides were tied 2-2 at the end of the regulation time.

Army to induct women as military police

In a historic first, the Army began the process to induct women in the military police, nearly two years after Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat said women will be recruited as jawans.

The Army started the online registration for recruitment in the Corps of military and the last date for filing application has been fixed as June 8.

International Hockey Tournament 2019 held

2nd Marshal of the Indian Air Force Arjan Singh Memorial International Hockey Tournament was held at Astro Turf Hockey Ground, Chandigarh from 15-25 April 2019.

A Total of 16 teams participated in this tournament.

Air Force teams from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka also participated in this edition, making it truly an international event.

Indian Coast Guard Vessel commissioned

A new Coast Guard vessel was commissioned by Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala Sri Tom Jose at Vizhinjam harbour, on 24 April 2019.

Indian Coast Guard Ship C-441 is capable to undertake multifarious tasks such as close coast surveillance, and interdiction.

The ship is commanded by Assistant Commandant Amit K Choudhary and has 13 crew onboard with specialisation in various fields.

Pak Navy successfully test fired missile

Pakistan Navy successfully test-fired an indigenous cruise missile in the Arabian Sea on 23 April 2019.

The indigenously developed cruise missile has anti-ship missile and land attack capability.

Vice Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Kaleem Shaukat witnessed the live firing, which was conducted by the Navy's fast attack craft.

Medical assistance to ANA

Vinay Kumar, Ambassador of India presented 100 motorized wheelchairs to the Afghan National Army on 22 April 2019.

India also remains committed to extending medical relief and assistance to the ANA personnel.

Till date, Indian Army has also trained 4880 ANA personnel in various professional, educational and military training programs, including training ANA doctors & medical technicians.

Indian battleships arrived in China

Battleships from India and countries like Singapore and Australia arrived in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao on 21 April 2019.

They will be taking part in a maritime parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army Navy.

China will display new warships, including nuclear submarines, destroyers, warplanes and the country’s first aircraft carrier, at the parade.

Naval Commanders Conference to begin

The first edition of Naval Commanders’ Conference of 2019 is scheduled at New Delhi from 23 to 25 April 2019.

The Chief of the Naval Staff will review major activities undertaken during the previous 6 months.

The themes of 'Functional Reorganisation of Indian Navy towards improving Operational Efficiency' and 'Optimal Manning' will form the core of discussions.

Guided missile destroyer INS Imphal launched

The Indian Navy launched its third guided missile destroyer 'INS Imphal' as part of its Project 15B on 20 April 2019.

The Navy had launched INS Vishakhapatnam, the first Project 15B ship, in April 2015, while the second ship, INS Mormugao, was launched in September 2016.

The INS Imphal was designed indigenously by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design.

IN seek access to French base in Djibouti

After operationalising the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA) signed with France, the Indian Navy is looking for access to French naval base in Djibouti.

Indian Navy Mig-29K fighters and French Navy Rafale-M fighters operating off their aircraft carriers will exercise together off Goa coast in May under the bilateral exercise Varuna.

2nd edition of IN – VPN BILAT EX concluded

The 2nd edition of 'Indian Navy-Vietnam Peoples’ Navy Bilateral Exercise' (IN – VPN BILAT EX) off Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam from 13-16 April 2019.

The exercise was undertaken as a part of the ongoing Overseas Deployment of Eastern Fleet ships to South East Asian countries.

IN Ships Kolkata participated in the exercise, comprising a harbour and a sea phase.

Sunil Lanba on a visit to Thailand

Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba will be on a 3-day bilateral visit to Thailand from 17 April 2019.

The visit is intended to consolidate and enhance the maritime bilateral relations between India and Thailand and also to explore new avenues of defence cooperation.

He will visit the Royal Thai Navy and Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters in Bangkok.

Coast Guard ship Veera commissioned





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Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat commissioned the Indian Coast Guard Ship Veera at a ceremony held at Naval Jetty, Visakhapatnam.

Veera, third in the series of offshore patrol vessels of the Coast Guard, was built by L&T at its shipbuilding facility at Kattupalli in Chennai.

Its induction will give a fillip to the maritime protection of India’s vast coastline of Eastern Seaboard.

Govt granted financial powers to buy weapons

In the wake of the Pulwama terror attack, the government has granted emergency powers to the three services to procure weapons and military hardware.

This would enhance their operational preparedness along the border with Pakistan.

The threshold granted to the three forces a couple of weeks ago for each proposal is around Rs 300 crore.

Army to hold joint exercise with coast guard

Indian army chief General Bipin Rawat said the army is planning to carry out joint training and exercise with the Indian Coast Guard.

He said the coast guard and the Indian Navy maintain coastal security and maritime surveillance.

After commissioning the coast guard's offshore patrol vessel (OPV) Veera, he said Veera would help the coast guard monitor maritime boundaries more effectively.

INS Magar reached Mozambique

Another Indian naval ship INS Magar reached Mozambique's Beira city loaded with suitable relief material.

The ship handed over 250 tonnes of rice and 500 kg of epidemic medicines for the population of Beira affected by Cyclone Idai.

The material was received by Mozambican Minister of Agriculture Higino Francisco de Marrule.

Marshal Arjan Singh's anniversary celebrated

A bust of the late Marshal of the Indian Air Force, Arjan Singh, was unveiled at the Vayu Bhawan by Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa to mark the birth centenary of the celebrated war hero.

Various events have been planned over a period of one year to commemorate the occasion.

As a tribute to his vision, a seminar on 'Air Power in the 2040: Impact of technology' was also held on 15 April 2019.

India, UK renewed MoU

In an effort to further expand defence cooperation, India and the U.K. have renewed the Defence Equipment Memorandum between the two countries.

The Memorandum of Understanding renews a previous Defence Equipment Cooperation MoU signed on April 1, 1997 which was renewed on April 20, 2007.

INS Kozhikode decommissioned

Indian Naval Ship Kozhikode was decommissioned in a grand ceremony conducted at Naval Jetty in Visakhapatnam.

Vice Adm S N Ghormade, Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command was the chief guest for the occasion.

INS Kozhikode was commissioned on 19 December 1988 at Riga (erstwhile USSR) and was the sixth and the last of the modified NATYA class of minesweeper.

DRDO successfully test-fired Nirbhay

India successfully test-fired its first Sub-sonic cruise missile, Nirbhay on 15 April 2019.

The launch was conducted from a test range in Odisha at 11:44 am.

The missile can be deployed from multiple platforms and was launched by DRDO from complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur.

The last successful trial of ‘Nirbhay’ cruise missile was conducted on November 7, 2017.

Half Marathon organised by IAF

A Half Marathon was conducted in Delhi on 14 April 2019 to mark the 100th birth centenary of the legendary Marshal of the Indian Air Force (MIAF) Arjan Singh.

A total of 800 air warriors from all the Air Force Stations and Units of the IAF in the Delhi NCR participated in the event.

The Half Marathon was flagged off by Air Marshal R Nambiar, from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at 0530h.

Virtual Reality Centre launched by Indian Navy

Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba inaugurated a new state-of-the-art, Virtual Reality Centre (VRC) in New Delhi.

It will provide a major boost to indigenous warship design capabilities of the Navy.

The project will facilitate collaborative design reviews to improve design and ergonomics onboard warships.

AFC Conference inaugurated

The first bi-annual Commanders’ Conference of IAF for the year 2019 began on 11 April 2019 at the Air Headquarters (Vayu Bhawan).

Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa welcomed the Hon’ble Raksha Mantri Smt Nirmala Sitharaman to the conference.

The theme of the conference is ‘Enhancing our operational capability in the short and long term’.

Procurement of 464 T-90 tanks cleared





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The government has cleared the procurement of 464 T-90 tanks from Russia in a deal worth over Rs 13,500 crore, despite the tensions with Pakistan.

Under the new deal, the tanks would be provided to the Armoured Corps of the force which will use them for deployment along the border with Pakistan.

The new deal would increase the number of T-90s in the Army to close to 2,000.

INS Shikra hosted Naval Investiture Ceremony

The Naval Investiture Ceremony was held at the naval helicopter base INS Shikra of Western Naval Command (WNC), Mumbai on 10 April 19.

Admiral Sunil Lanba conferred Gallantry and non-Gallantry Awards to meritorious personnel, as well as citations to Naval units which have distinguished themselves during the past year.

A 50-men Guard of Honour was paraded during the ceremonial parade.

India-Singapore joint exercise conducted

Armed forces of India and Singapore kicked off a joint military exercise, ‘Bold Kurukshetra–2019’, in Jhansi’s Babina Cantonment on 8 April 2019.

The 3-day exercise is aimed at bolstering cooperation against terrorism, developing defence technology and improving maritime security.

India and Singapore entered into an official agreement in November 2017 to strengthen defence ties.

Indo-Sri Lanka joint exercise concluded

The 6th edition of the joint military training exercise between the Indian Army and the Sri Lankan Army, Exercise Mitra Shakti concluded in Sri Lanka on 8 April 2019.

The 2-week long training had commenced on 26th March 2019

The 2 army contingents also shared the best practices of each other to further enhance their learning experiences.

Army gets more fire power with Dhanush

The Indian Army received the first batch of six 'Dhanush' artillery guns from the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB).

The guns were handed over by Saurabh Kumar, Director General, Ordnance Factories and the OFB chairman, at a ceremony organised in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.

The 155mm x 45 calibre modern artillery gun system was developed by the Ordnance Factories jointly with the Army.

CRPF celebrated 54th Valour Day

Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) celebrated its 54th Valour Day on 9 April 2019.

On this day, in 1965, a small contingent of 2nd Battalion of CRPF successfully fought and repulsed an attack by a

Pakistani Brigade on Sardar Post in the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat.

On the Occasion, President Ram Nath Kovind paid homage to the martyrs of police at National Police Memorial in New Delhi.

Expedition to Karakoram Pass flagged off

The Himalayan Heights Expedition was flagged off on 7 April 2019 from Karu Military Station.

14 days, 11 bikes and 1 dream expedition, the expedition from Leh to KK Pass will cover over 1,000 km and is likely to qualify for inclusion in the record books.

The expedition is led by Indian Army team comprising riders from Army Service Corps, Royal Enfield, and Himalayan Motorsports.

NC won air weapon championship for 4th time

Udhampur-based Northern Command has won the 15th edition of General J J Singh air weapon championship for the fourth consecutive time.

The championship was conducted at Army Marksmanship Unit, Mhow between March 25 and April 3, 2019.

Over 100 male and female young shooters from across the Indian Army competed in the 10-meter air rifle and air

pistol categories.

INS Shakti to take part in Chinese celebration

Two Indian naval ships INS 'Kolkata' and 'Shakti' would take part in the Chinese Navy's 70th anniversary of celebrations later in April 2019.

The two ships are scheduled to visit Chinese port of Qingdao from 21 to 26 April to participate in an International Fleet Review to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy.

India evacuated CRPF contingent from Libya

India evacuated its entire contingent of 15 CRPF personnel from Tripoli after the situation suddenly worsened in Libya.

The CRPF contingent was deployed as a peacekeeping force in Tripoli.

The military conflict in Libya escalated after forces of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar launched an air strike in an area in Tripoli.

Indian Ambassador in Tunisia has the concurrent charge of Libya.

BAC Conference began

The biannual Army Commanders’ Conference began in New Delhi on 8 April 2019.

Important issues were discussed such as the management of the extant security dynamics, mitigation of future security threats and enhancement of combat edge over potential adversaries.





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Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman delivered her opening address at the conference.

Battle of Kangla Tongbi: Platinum Jubilee

The Battle of Kangla Tongbi, considered one of the fiercest battles of World War II, was fought by Ordnance personnel of 221 Advance Ordnance Depot (AOD) on the night of 6/7 April 1944.

The Platinum Jubilee of the Battle of Kangla Tongbi War was commemorated on 7 April 2019 by Army Ordnance Corps at Kangla Tongbi War Memorial near Imphal.

Army Commanders' Conference: April 2019

The biannual Army Commanders’ Conference shall commence on 8 April 2019.

Army Commanders’ Conference, chaired by Chief of the Army Staff is held biannually for formulating important policy decisions through collegiate deliberations.

It is an important event for the planning and execution process of the Indian Army.

Indian Navy to acquire 6 lethal submarines

Indian Navy will acquire 6 lethal submarines under Project-75.

Under Project 75-India, the Navy wants to build six conventional diesel-electric submarines.

The submarines should have the ability to carry and launch 18 heavyweight torpedoes in the sea.

For the Indian Navy, the Project 75I-class submarine is a follow-on of the Project 75 Kalvari-class submarines.

New tug Bahadur in Navy fleet

To meet the growing needs of Indian Naval ships, a new 10-tonne bollard pull tug 'Bahadur' was inducted into service at the naval ship repair yard (NSRY) on 4 April 2019.

The vessel has been designed and built at Hindustan Shipyard Ltd, Visakhapatnam, and has steerable rudder propulsion (SRP) with advanced remote control.

The NSRY provides technical and services support to all the ships.

Indian Army discovered wreckage of aircraft

A 12-member Indian Army patrol along with a police representative recovered wreckage of a World War II US Air Force aircraft in Roing district of Arunachal Pradesh recently.

The patrol located the aircraft debris covered by thick undergrowth and buried under five feet of snow.

Its discovery and other warlike stores will definitely lead to revelation of some historical inputs.

US approved sale of 24 helicopters

The US approved the sale of 24 multi-role MH-60 Romeo Seahawk helicopters to India at an estimated cost of 2.4 billion US dollars.

It is considered the world's most advanced maritime helicopter.

The choppers will provide the Indian defence forces with the capability to perform anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare missions.

AUSINDEX-19 set to begin

The 3rd edition of AUSINDEX ( Australia India Exercise) commenced at Visakhapatnam on 2 April 2019.

The aim of the exercise is to strengthen and enhance mutual cooperation and interoperability between the IN and RAN.

The arrival of HMAS Canberra (L02), a Landing Helicopter Dock, and HMAS Collins, a conventional submarine plenishment oiler, was also seen.

Sri Lankan Navy Commander visited India

Vice Admiral Piyal De Silva, Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy visited India from 30 March to 02 April 2019 on an official visit.

This is the first visit of the Admiral to India after taking over as Commander, Sri Lanka Navy.

The aim of the visit was to consolidate bilateral naval relations between India and Sri Lanka as also to explore new avenues for naval cooperation.






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Polity

15th FC met Ministry of Panchayati Raj

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj made a presentation to the Chairman of 15th Finance Commission, Shri N.K. Singh, its Members and senior officials of the Commission.

The Ministry has proposed an allocation of Rs. 10,00,000 crores to Panchayats by the 15th Finance Commission.

It is a hike of 399% from that given by the 14th Finance Commission.

Vijender Singh: Congress Candidate

The Congress fielded champion boxer Vijender Singh, who won the bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, from the South Delhi constituency.

He will take on BJP’s sitting MP Ramesh Bidhuri and AAP’s Raghav Chadha.

In all, the Congress has so far declared candidates for 422 Lok Sabha seats.

Voter Park inaugurated in Gurugram

India's first-of-its-kind 'Voter Park' was inaugurated in Gurugram on 11 April 2019.

It is aimed at increasing voter awareness and educating people about the electoral process.

Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Rajeev Ranjan inaugurated the park in Vikas Sadan building complex.

Lok Sabha elections 2019 begin

Voting began in 91 Lok Sabha constituencies spread across 18 states and 2 union territories in the first phase.

In Odisha, voting for 28 out of 147 assembly seats and four Lok Sabha seats was also held on 11 April 2019.

Voting for 543 Lok Sabha seats will be held in seven phases: April 11, April 18, April 23, April 29, May 6, May 12 and May 19. Counting will be done on May 23, 2019.

DEO Puducherry app launched

The Elections Department of Puducherry has launched DEO Puducherry, an IT application.

This will help voters with details of all polling stations in 25 Assembly constituencies in Puducherry district

The new app was launched by Senior Superintendent of Police (Law and Order) Apoorva Gupta.

The app features messages from the DEO, propaganda, law and order regulations.

EC to raise random sampling of EVMs

The Supreme Court ordered the Election Commission to increase random sampling of EVMs using VVPAT from the current one EVM per assembly segment to 5.

The order came on a plea filed by 21 Opposition parties that have sought directions to the poll body to randomly verify at least 50% of electronic voting machines (EVMs) using voter-verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips.

National Affairs

DD-Kashir launched kashmiri version of KBC

DD-Kashir launched the Kashmiri version of 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' at the Doordarshan Kendra's Srinagar Studios on 29 April 2019.

The show is named, 'Kus Bani Koshur Karorpaet'.

The broadcast will be at 8 PM from Monday to Saturday and will be repeated the following day at 7 am and 2 PM.

IGNOU to launch course on GST

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) will launch an awareness programme on Goods and Services Tax (GST) in collaboration with Bombay Stock Exchange Institute Limited.

The programme will be launched from its July 2019 session.

It aims to impart the basic knowledge and skills required to fulfill various requirements under the GST Act.

Aurobindo got environmental nod

The ₹250-crore expansion plan of Aurobindo Pharma's manufacturing facility in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh has been accorded environmental clearance.

The project also involves installation of a captive power plant of 8.85 MW.

The project is expected to create jobs for 600 people directly and 120 indirectly.

India to develop certification facility

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is developing India’s own certification facility for air pollution monitoring equipment.

The move could boost the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

At least 40,000 such machines are being used by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and other government agencies to monitor air pollution levels, including both ambient and source-based emissions.

IRDAI formed 13 member panel

Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has set up a 13 member committee under IRDAI Executive Director Suresh Mathur.

It will review the regulatory framework on microinsurance & recommend measures to increase the demand for such products.

It has been formed in the backdrop of a less-than-desired offtake of microinsurance products despite their inherent benefits.

Cyber Exercise conducted in New Delhi

Directorate of Indian Defence University organised a 2-day Cyber Exercise on Scenario Building & Response on 29-30 April,19 at Purple Bay, New Delhi.





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The Exercise was represented by Services, NSCS, NTRO, CERT-in, DRDO, NIC, CSRC, Academia and Industry.

The scope of the exercise would encompass the threat landscape and its impact, incident reporting & response framework, and more.

Dentists can practice as Gen. physicians

Niti Aayog has agreed to the proposal of the Dental Council of India which had sought to allow dentists to practice as general physicians after a bridge course.

The proposal was made to explore unconventional methods to address the shortage of doctors in the country, particularly in rural areas.

Indian Medical Association vehemently opposed the proposal.

ICMR launched MERA India

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has launched the Malaria Elimination Research Alliance (MERA) India.

It is a conglomeration of partners working on malaria control in order to eliminate the disease from India by 2030.

The National Vector Borne Diseases Control Program (NVBDCP) of India has also developed a framework to achieve the target of Malaria free India by 2030.

Cyclone Fani likely to intensify

The Cyclone Fani in South East Bay of Bengal is expected to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm.

India Meteorology Department said it will further intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm by tomorrow morning.

It is moving in a north westwards direction at a speed of 21 kilometres per hour.

New Rs. 20 notes to be issued soon

The RBI would soon issue new Rs 20 notes in greenish-yellow colour.

The banknote in the Mahatma Gandhi (New) series will have a motif of Ellora Caves on the reverse, depicting the country’s cultural heritage.

The dimension of the new Rs 20 note will be 63 mm x 129 mm.

Mr. Naidu visited National Museum of Cinema

The Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu visited the National Museum of Indian Cinema, in Mumbai on 26 April 2019.

Exhibits at the museum would take the visitors down the memory lane of their favorite movies, actors and the music.

Cinema being the most loved and watched platform by the almost every Indian can act as an instrument of social change.

Regional language on the medicine labels

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recommended that the government should take necessary steps to include the regional language in the medicine labels.

The aim is to curb fake, sub-standard and expired drugs.

Initially, the proposal will be implemented for Iron tablets and polio drops as they are the drugs most commonly administered to children at government centres.

Vedanta to expand its plant in Rajasthan

Mining firm Vedanta Ltd. has received environment clearance for the expansion of its oil and gas operation in Rajasthan.

This would entail the company an investment of Rs.12,000 crore.

The proposal is to expand onshore oil and gas production from 3,00,000 BOPD (barrels oil per day) to 4,00,000 BOPD in Barmer and Jalore districts.

DPIIT proposed Startup India Vision 2024

The Commerce and Industry Ministry has proposed a host of measures such as tax incentives to promote budding entrepreneurs as part of the 'Startup India Vision 2024'.

The vision document aims at facilitating setting up of 50,000 new start-ups in the country by 2024 and creating 20 lakh direct and indirect employment opportunities.

SC asked RBI to disclose information

The Supreme Court directed the RBI to disclose information pertaining to its annual inspection report under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

A bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao also directed it to review its policy to disclose information relating to banks under RTI.

In January 2019, SC had issued contempt notice to RBI for not disclosing annual inspection report of banks under RTI.

2.9 mn children missed measles vaccine

India has 2.9 million children who have missed out on the first dose of measles vaccine between 2010 and 2017 despite over 80% of immunisation coverage.

India, with its large annual birth cohort of 25 million, is followed by Pakistan and Indonesia - 1.2 million each.

In 2017 Nigeria had the highest number of children under 1 year of age who missed out on the 1st dose of vaccine.

Meghalaya to augment fish production

The Meghalaya government will invest Rs 378 crore in fish production for meeting a supply deficit of 15,000 metric tonnes.

The state has been able to produce 12,000 MT of fish annually against the demand of over 27,000 MT.

An investment of Rs 161 crore was made in the first edition of the Meghalaya State Aquaculture Mission (MSAM) that had benefited 21,000 persons in 2012.

Centre invested in cell based mutton project





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The Centre has approved a Rs. 4.5 crore grant to two premier Hyderabad-based institutions for research into technology that involves growing animal cells in a laboratory to produce slaughter-free meat.

The grant, from the Department of Biotechnology, is for an 18-month project, which will look into developing methods to cultivate stem cells from tissue samples of sheep, to produce mutton.

Gujarat Govt to pay Rs 50 lakh to Bilkis Bano

The Supreme Court directed the Gujarat government to make a payment of ₹50 lakh as compensation to Bilkis Bano, who was gang-raped during the 2002 Gujarat riots.

She was 21 years old when the horrific incident happened with her.

In January 2008, a special court sentenced 11 men for raping Bano and killing her family members, but acquitted seven people.

Online courses to be offered in 482 schools

University of Cambridge approved worldwide assessment system, which will offer 482 schools across India the chance to use a wider new range of online courses.

Pamoja Education has received its approval by Cambridge Assessment International Education.

The market for online learning in India is currently growing at 20% per year.

Tata Global to acquire Dhunseri Tea

Tata Global Beverages Ltd (TGBL) has entered into a non-binding agreement to acquire the branded tea business of Dhunseri Tea and Industries Ltd, for up to Rs 101 crore.

The proposed acquisition will be subject to due-diligence, signing of definitive binding agreements and applicable approvals.

Dhunseri's branded tea business include 'Lalghoda' and 'Kalaghoda' brands in Rajasthan.

J&K: Campaign Sweep inaugurated

In J&K, under a unique Initiative under SVEEP, District Election Officer Kargil Baseer Ul Haq inaugurated the Campaign Sweep for voters education and awareness from TFC Kargil.

Under the initiative, more than 1000 employees conducted a sanitation drive along the banks of River Suru covering an area of more than 4 Km.

The campaign will continue till 5th of May 2019.

Operation Night Riders began

The Motor Vehicles Department’s Operation Night Riders began on 24 April 2019.

It will keep tabs on 500 tourist omnibuses operating from key cities in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to the State.

State Transport Commissioner Sudesh Kumar asked all Enforcement Regional Transport Officers (RTOs) to form 3-member squads under a Motor Vehicles Inspector.

BCCI shifted finals to Hyderabad

The IPL final scheduled on May 12 was shifted from Chennai to Hyderabad after the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) failed to get requisite permission from the government to open the three closed stands.

The 3 stands make up for more than 12,000 tickets and BCCI would have lost out on a few crores of the gate money.

Himalayan expedition flagged in Leh

The 14 days, 11 members Himalayan Heights Motorcycle Expedition from Leh to Karakoram Pass was flagged in at Leh by Lt Gen YK Joshi.

The expedition began on 7 April 2019 and traversed over 1000 Km in the forbidding landscape of Eastern Ladakh.

The expedition team comprised six motorcyclists from the Army Service Corps.

Chennai central station's name is not longest

The Chennai Central railway station, officially known as Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station, lost the distinction of having the world’s longest railway station name by an alphabet.

The record for the longest railway station name, which is 58 letters long, is held by ‘Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch’ in Wales.

Election Commission launches Voter Turnout app

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched the Voter Turnout app on 19 April 2019.

The mobile app is for the voters across the country to see the real-time availability of voter turnout during the election season in the country.

The app captures the real-time information gathered by the Returning Officers following which it calculates the estimated totals.

Chemists and druggists are passe

First coined in 1945, the words ‘chemist’ and ‘druggist’ are headed for a change, with the Union Health Ministry replacing them with ‘pharmacy’.

The phrase ‘chemists and druggists’ was coined over seven decades ago, is quite old, and has lost its relevance in the current scenario.

The matter was deliberated upon by the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB).

14 products receied GI tags

Himachali Kala Zeera, Jeeraphool from Chhattisgarh and Kandhamal Haldi from Odisha are among the 14 products





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that have received Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the government for 2019.

The other products which received this tag include Coorg Arabica coffee from Karnataka, Wayanad Robusta coffee from Kerala, Araku Valley Arabica from Andhra Pradesh, and Sirisi Supari from Karnataka.

Delhi Police launched 2 helpline numbers

The Delhi Police launched 2 helpline numbers as a precautionary measure to curb noise pollution and incidents of mob lynching in the national capital.

The 2 helpline numbers 155270 and 155271 are operated by the Police Control Room.

These will remain operational 24x7 to ensure quick response and action into complaints of mob violence or calls related to noise pollution.

20 states joined helpline number 112

20 states and UTs have so far joined a pan-India network of single emergency helpline number '112' on which immediate assistance can be sought by anyone in distress.

The '112' helpline is an integration of police (100), fire (101) and women (1090) helpline numbers and the project is being implemented under the Nirbhaya Fund.

It is similar to '911' in the United States.

HAL resumed tests of jet trainer

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has resumed test-flying its intermediate jet trainer (IJT) in a modified version after a gap of almost 3 years.

It had halted flight tests of the IJT in 2016 after the aircraft encountered problems while undergoing critical spin tests.

The trainer aircraft, called the HJT-36, is being developed for new pilots of the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy.

Guwahati fuel stations go cashless

In a major step towards Digital India, the petrol pump owners of Guwahati, have decided to go cashless completely from 18 April 2019.

The petrol pump owners have been facing trouble over cash transaction after the enforcement of Model Code of conduct (MCC) for the Lok Sabha Elections.

The owners expressed that they had to face numerous hassles during cash deposits into the banks.

Govt targetes IRCTC, IRFC IPOs

The government is targeting to raise about ₹1,500 crore from initial public offerings (IPOs) of two railway companies, IRCTC and IRFC, by September 2019.

Earlier in April 2019, the government raised about ₹480 crore by selling 12.12% stake in Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL).

The government has budgeted to raise ₹90,000 crore by way of CPSE disinvestment in the current financial year.

Indiabulls got IRDAI approval

Indiabulls General Insurance has received preliminary approval from regulator Irdai to foray into non-life business.

In January, another subsidiary Indiabulls Life Insurance Company had received R1 approval from Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India.

The company is in the process of moving ahead with the next step of filing its application for registration with Irdai.

Thunderstorm leaves 50 dead in 4 states

Over 50 people were killed as rain, coupled with thunderstorm and lightning, hit several parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra overnight.

The unseasonal rain and storm also caused damage to property and crops in Gujarat and Rajasthan.

Rajasthan witnessed 25 deaths, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 15 and10 people were killed in Gujarat, three were killed in Maharashtra.

Jet Airways seek Rs. 400 crore

The Jet Airways board authorised its management to engage with lenders to secure at least a few hundred crore rupees of interim funding to continue operations.

The CEO approached the lenders to release Rs.400 crore for the sake of the employees and to prevent a shutdown.

Jet requires at least Rs.1,000 crore to meet its immediate needs.

IDBI Bank launched paperless account

The NRIs living in nearly 40 countries will now be able to open an account in IDBI Bank without submitting paper documents.

IDBI Bank has launched 'NRI-Insta-Online' account opening process for NRIs residing in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) member countries.

The person will not be required to furnish physical documents as well as KYC proofs for opening an account with the bank.

Durjanpur to be renamed as Shivdham

The MHA approved a proposal to change the name of a village in Madhya Pradesh from 'Durjanpur' to 'Shivdham'.

The move came after the Home Ministry got no objection from the Geographical Survey of India (GSI), the Department of Post, the Ministry of Railways.

Some of the name change proposals cleared by the Home Ministry in recent past include Arikkod as Areekode and Laxman Garh as Adawala.

BBC India launched Chatbot

BBC India launched an experimental interactive election chatbot in Hindi and English on Facebook's Messenger platform as part of a series of Indian General Election-related content.





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The chatbot allows users to interact with the BBC, ask questions and get regular updates as the elections unfold.

The special election coverage will be available on smartphones.

TikTok blocked by Google in India

Google has complied with an Indian court order to block access to the popular app TikTok over government concerns with illicit content.

The move could handicap the app's owner, China's Bytedance Ltd., the world's most highly valued startup, in one of its most promising markets.

Home Expo India 2019 began

The 8th edition of HOME EXPO INDIA 2019 opened at India Expo Centre and Mart, Greater Noida on 16 April 2019.

The 3-day exhibition has been organized by the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH).

Buyers from more than 50 countries including USA, Europe, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, UAE, Lebanon, Iran, Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa, will be visiting the home expo.

Workshop on Loss & Damage conducted

A 1-day National Consultation on Loss and Damage was hosted by the Ministry of Environment in New Delhi on 16 April 2019.

India has been experiencing weather and climate-related loss and damage, the Kerala floods and Ockhi being the rarest of the rare events.

The workshop had 2 technical sessions on topics including ‘Strengthening response to address loss and damage’.

SC banned mining activities in Kaziranga park

The Supreme Court has banned all mining activities along the Kaziranga National Park and catchment area of rivers originating in Karbi Anglong Hills in Assam.

A bench comprising Justices Arun Mishra and Deepak Gupta issued a notice to the Assam government and sought its reply within 3 weeks.

100 sanitary pad machines to be installed

As part of a police welfare scheme, Mumbai Police is set to install over 100 sanitary pad vending machines and incinerators for women police officers across the city.

Action Committee Against Unfair Medical Practices along with Brihan Mumbai police have launched a project "Smart Maitrin".

Under this project,140 sanitary pad machines will be installed at 93 police stations across the city.

Greenam Energy set up power plant

Greenam Energy has set up its first floating solar power plant at Tuticorin.

AM International Group Founder-Chairman Ashwin Muthiah laid the foundation stone for the power plant, which would lead to significant energy savings.

The 24 MW floating solar power plant would be one of its kind and the first floating renewable energy initiative to optimise energy production in industrial plants.

Himachal Pradesh celebrated 72nd state day

The 72nd Himachal Day was celebrated with gaiety and fervour in the state on 15 April 2019.

Governor Acharya Devvrat unfurled the national flag at an event on the historic Ridge maidan in Shimla to mark the day.

He inspected an impressive parade led by Parade Commander Deputy Superintendent of Police Shakti Singh.

Rotary Club of Madras North started project

Project Kannamma is the initiative of the Rotary Club of Madras North to provide sanitary napkins to the students.

It was started in August 2018 by providing free, biodegradable sanitary napkins to 82 students at the Government High School in Uthandi of Tamil Nadu.

The sanitary napkins are provided by the Irula Tribal Women's Welfare Society (ITWWS).

4th RC Asia-Pacific Congress began

The 4th Resilient Cities Asia-Pacific Congress 2019 started in New Delhi.

It is organised by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) and co-hosted by South Delhi Municipal Corporation.

It will conclude on 17th April 2019.

It offers a lot of innovative solutions that build resilience to climate change at the sub-national level.

Bamboo rice in Odisha after four decades

Bamboo rice has shown up in Odisha nearly after four decades.

Odisha had last witnessed Bamboo rice in 1979.

The Forest Authorities of Chandaka-Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary in Cuttack district have opened up the gates for the forest dwellers to collect the Bamboo rice.

The rare rice grows out of a dying bamboo shoot.

Medical devices to get CDSCO certification

All imported, as well as locally manufactured medical devices sold in India will soon be required to clear specific safety and quality standards.

The move is aimed at preventing fiascos such as the one involving Johnson and Johnson hip implants.

The import, manufacture, and sale of all medical devices will need to be certified by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).

RBI employees not government servants





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The Madras High Court observed that the employees of RBI cannot be referred to as 'government servants' while identifying their employment status.

The observation came after an RBI employee, E. Manoj Kumar, moved the High Court seeking the declaration of his result in the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC).

Essel World launched bird park

Essel World launched an interactive bird park in Gorai recently.

The first-of-its-kind rain forest-themed park spread across 1.4 acres is home to over 500 exotic birds from more than 60 species.

The park is equipped with small ponds for aquatic birds, dense cover of trees for birds to incubate their eggs and a water stream that offers drinking water to birds.

Apollo Hospitals launched advanced centre

On World Parkinson’s Day, Apollo Hospitals launched an advanced centre for movement disorders.

It will offer medical and surgical treatment for patients affected by various movement disorders including Parkinson’s Disease.

The centre would offer Deep Brain Stimulation surgeries and other services to treat a wide spectrum of diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease, cerebral palsy, and dystonia.

Jet Airways halts international flights

Jet Airways cancelled all international flights until 15th April.

This includes flights from London, Paris and Amsterdam.

Jet Airways is saddled with more than $1billion of debt.

Vinay Dube is the CEO of Jet Airways.

Retail inflation up to 2.86% in March

Retail inflation rose to 2.86% in March this year due to increase in prices of food articles and fuel.

Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation reported that the inflation based on Consumer Price Index was 2.57% in February 2019.

It was 4.28% in March 2018.

64th Railway Week of Railway Board

The 64th Railway Week Function of Railway Board was organized in New Delhi on 13 April, 2019.

45 officials of Railway Board were presented with awards for their outstanding performances in the year 2018-19.

V K Yadav is the Chairman of Railway Board.

Parties to share info on electoral bonds

SC has directed all political parties to provide receipts of electoral bonds to the Election Commission.

The apex court also directed all political parties to share details of the amount and bank accounts of donors by 30th May.

The Centre had notified the Electoral Bond Scheme in January 2018.

Bonds may be purchased by any person, who is a citizen of India or established in India.

69.43% voter turnout: phase 1 of LS election

A voter turnout of 69.43 per cent was recorded in phase one of Lok Sabha elections held on 11 April, 2019.

A total of 91 Lok Sabha constituencies spread across 18 states and two Union territories had gone for polls in the first phase.

Reinsurance brokers can open FC accounts

Reinsurance brokers have been permitted by RBI to open non-interest bearing foreign currency accounts with banks for undertaking transactions.

Foreign currency account refers to a bank account held or maintained in currency other than the currency of India or Nepal or Bhutan.

Earlier, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India had issued a notification in this regard.

National Symposium held in Delhi

A national symposium on evidence synthesis began in Delhi on 11 April 2019.

Its focus was on making science and synthesised knowledge the bedrock of all societal and policy interventions in the areas of public health, medicine, and social development.

The symposium is being organised by The George Institute for Global Health and the Campbell Collaboration.

WB Govt fined for virtual ban on a film

The West Bengal government was slapped with a fine of Rs. 20 lakh by the Supreme Court for imposing a 'virtual' ban on the public screening of a Bengali film.

The court had asked Mamata Banerjee's government in March to ensure that the satirical film is screened without obstruction.

The film, 'Bhobishyoter Bhoot' had disappeared from movie halls a day after its release on February 15, 2019.

CRPF Veer Pariwar app launched

President Ram Nath Kovind launched ‘CRPF Veer Parivar’ app, a mobile application for families of CRPF personnel killed in the line of duty.

He also paid homage to the martyrs at National Police Memorial in New Delhi on the occasion of 54th Valour Day of Central Reserve Police Force, CRPF.

The app will render all assistance to the families of the martyred CRPF personnel.

River Periyar witnessed decolorisation





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The River Periyar in Kerala is witnessing decolorization.

The Pollution Control Board (PCB) has attributed the change in colour to the poor quality of water as a result of eutrophication.

1500 Indian railway stations WiFi enabled

RailTel has provided free high-speed Wi-Fi services to as many as 500 stations in just seven days.

Sahibabad has become the 1500th station in the country to get free Wi-Fi facility provided by RailTel, as per an ANI report.

RailTel Corp. of India is a PSU under the Ministry of Railways which focuses on providing broadband and VPN services.

ICMR's ethical guidelines mandatory

The Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) National Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research is now mandatory and needs to be adhered to for all biomedical research in India.

This was decided as per the New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules 2019.

This will help bring about much-needed transparency and accountability.

Adani Power received LoI

Adani Power received the Letter of Intent (LoI) to acquire the insolvent Korba West Power Company (KWPCL) on 8 April 2019.

The LoI dated April 6, 2019, was issued by the resolution professional appointed by the Ahmedabad bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).

KWPCL owns and operates a 600 megawatt (MW) thermal power plant in Raigarh District, Chhattisgarh.

NGT formed committee

The National Green Tribunal formed a committee to look into the alleged erosion of Yamuna floodplain in Haryana's Sonipat district.

The nodal agency for coordination and compliance will be the principal secretary of the Haryana Irrigation and Water Resources Department.

The joint report may be furnished within 1 month by e-mail so that matter can be taken up before monsoon.

Tata Motors launched initiative for drivers

Tata Motors Monday launched an initiative to promote driving profession in the trucking space.

Under the Tata Motors Samarth initiative, the company plans to address four critical areas -- health and wellness, insurance, education and financial planning for the drivers' well-being.

The auto major aims to reach to five lakh drivers every year under the programme.

Delhi scored high in HRD rankings

Six colleges of the Delhi University have figured in the top 10 rankings by the HRD Ministry.

Miranda House scored a hattrick in bagging the first rank.

Hindu College has been ranked second.

IIT Delhi has been ranked third in the overall ranking of higher education institutions and the second best among the engineering institutions.

India Rankings - 2019 released

The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, released the India Rankings – 2019 on 8 April 2019.

He also presented the India Rankings awards to the top eight institutions in different categories at a function held in New Delhi.

He also released the Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) and presented the ARIIA awards to the top two institutions.

BARC resumed viewership data publication

Television viewership monitoring agency BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council) has resumed the publication of viewership data on its websites.

On 1 April 2019, TRAI had issued a show-cause notice to BARC for not complying with its direction on the release of TV viewership data.

It is related to the sector's migration to the new tariff regime.

Café Scientifique to be launched in Kerala






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A group of science experts of the Hume Centre for Ecology and Wildlife Biology will launch ‘Café Scientifique’ in Kerala.

Café Scientifique, the first such initiative in the State, aims to promote science among the public in an interesting way.

Café Scientifique is a grassroots public science initiative based on the French Café Philosophique model.

India's first A.I enabled motorcycle

Revolt Intellicorp will manufacture India's first AI-enabled electric motorcycle in June 2019.

Revolt Intellicorp has been founded by Micromax's co-founder Rahul Sharma.

The headquarters of the company is at Gurgaon.

The manufacturing facility of the company is located in Manesar.

Roadis, NIIF to invest $2 billion

Roadis, a private investor and operator of transport infrastructure worldwide and the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) have jointly set up a platform to invest in road projects in India.

The platform would invest up to $2 billion of equity targeting toll-operate-transfer models, acquisitions of existing road concessions and investment opportunities in the road sector.

WhatsApp launches tip line feature

WhatsApp launched an India-focused fact-checking feature called tip line feature on 2 April 2019.

It was developed to combat fake news and rumors starting with the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.

The tip line feature will help create a database of rumors to study misinformation during elections.

It has been developed in collaboration with India-based media skilling startup PROTO.

Chennai Central railway station renamed

The Chennai Central railway station has been renamed as Dr. MG Ramachandran Chennai Central railway station.

Dr. MG Ramachandran is the former state chief minister and founder of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).

The no-objection certificate was issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs for renaming the railway station.

Rinzin Dwar inaugurated in Shimla

Army's Western Command chief inaugurated Rinzin Dwar, the entrance to Pirthi Military station, named after a slain Army officer, in Shimla district.

It is situated at Averipatti in Rampur and is named after late Sub Rinzin Dorje of Dogra Scouts.

He was an accomplished mountaineer who summited Mt Everest and several other prominent peaks.

TRAI asks Telcos to submit plan details

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has directed operators to submit before it all tariff plans that they offer to select segments of customers at the end of every month.

TRAI also directed service providers to share with it the number of subscribers at the end of each month who have availed the segmented offer.

Tata Projects bagged $321 million order

Tata Projects has received order worth USD 321 million (around ₹2,182 crore) from Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL).

This 2x700 MW power plant order is the company's third contract in the nuclear power sector.

The scope of work involves construction of main plant buildings, structures and other associated works of Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojana.

1.2 M deaths in India due to air pollution

Over 1.2 million people died in India due to air pollution in 2017, as per a global report on air pollution.

As per the State of Global Air 2019, overall long-term exposure to outdoor and indoor air pollution contributed to nearly 5 million deaths in 2017.

The report was released by the US-based organisation Health Effects Institute.

Odisha received GI tag for Kandhamal Haldi

'Kandhamal Haldi', a variety of turmeric indigenous to southern Odisha, has earned the Geographical indication (GI) tag from Intellectual Property India.

The recognition coincided with the state's Foundation Day (Utkal Divas).

Odisha, on April 1 1936, was carved out as a separate state in the then British India on a linguistic identity.

Centre to set up TMG in J&K

The Union Home Ministry has announced setting up of a Terror Monitoring Group to ensure synergised and concerted action against terror-related activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

TMG will act against all registered cases related to terror and bring them to a logical conclusion.

It will identify all key persons including leaders of the organisations who are involved in supporting terrorism.

Deadline to link PAN with Aadhaar extended

The government has extended the last date to link Permanent Account Number (PAN) with Aadhaar number by six month till 30th of September.

Earlier, March 31st was the last date.

The CBDT has also made it clear that it is mandatory to quote and link Aadhaar number from April 1, 2019 in filing the Income Tax Return.





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ISRO opens its 1st visitors gallery

In a first, ISRO opened a visitors' gallery with 5,000 capacity at Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota island on Sunday.

The gallery has a clear line of sight to two launch pads and large screens to explain launcher and satellite features, ISRO said.

This comes as ISRO launched defence satellite EMISAT along with 28 foreign satellites.

Supply of Euro-VI grade fuels begins in NCR

Supply of ultra-clean Euro-VI grade petrol and diesel has begun in cities adjoining the national capital.

Delhi in April 2018 became the first city in the country to leapfrog from Euro-IV grade petrol and diesel to Euro-VI fuels.

Rest of the country will follow suit from April 2020.

Tribunal to adjudicate ban on Jamaat-e-Islami

The Centre has set up a tribunal to adjudicate if there exists sufficient cause to ban the Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir and the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front-Yasin Malik faction.

The tribunal will be headed by Justice Chander Shekhar of the Delhi High Court.

The decision to constitute a tribunal was taken while exercising the powers conferred under the Unlawful Activities Act.

IAF MIG-27 (Upgrade) Crash

An Indian Air Force MiG-27 (Upgrade) aircraft got airborne from Air Force Station Uttarlai, Rajasthan for a routine sortie.

The aircraft crashed approximately 120 km south of Jodhpur.

The pilot ejected safely and has been recovered by Search and Rescue helicopter.

A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of the accident.

Int airport in goa suspended by SC

SC suspends eco clearance for an international airport in Goa.

The health of the environment is key to preserving the right to life, the Supreme Court has observed in a recent judgment and suspended the environmental clearance granted for an international airport at Mopa in Goa.

Odisha statehood day, Utkal Diwas

Utkala Dibasa or Odisha Day is celebrated on 1 April across the state with great fervor and gaiety in the memory of the formation of the state. The Indian state of Odisha came into being on April 1, 1936.

It is also called Orissa Foundation Day and Vishuva Milan.

President, Vice President, and Prime Minister have greeted the people of Odisha on the occasion of statehood day, Utkal Diwas.

Environment

Global warming shrank economy by 31%

According to a Stanford study, global warming has caused the Indian economy to be 31% smaller than it would have been.

The study shows how Earth's temperature changes have increased inequalities.

It showed that growing concentrations of greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere since the 1960s have enriched cool countries like Norway and Sweden.

East Asian birds make Andaman stopover

Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo (Chalcites basalis) was sighted at the Andamans and Nicobar Islands.

It is distinguished by the green and brown plumage on its back, the diminutive Horsfield’s Bronze Cuckoo (Chalcites basalis) is a native of Australia and New Guinea.

The sighting was the first recorded instance of the bird in India.

India, ASEAN to boost maritime ties

India and ASEAN have vowed to strengthen ties by deepening cooperation in the maritime sector and boosting connectivity.

The two sides met at the 21st ASEAN-India Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) held in New Delhi on April 11-12.

The two sides also decided to hold an ASEAN-India Conference on Renewable Energy in 2019.

River Periyar witnessed decolorisation

The River Periyar in Kerala is witnessing decolorization.

The Pollution Control Board (PCB) has attributed the change in colour to the poor quality of water as a result of eutrophication.

Yellow weather warning for Himachal Pradesh

The Meteorological Department issued a yellow weather warning for rain in Himachal Pradesh.

The weather department forecast thunderstorm with hail in isolated places of mid hills, including Shimla, Mandi, Kullu, Chamba, Solan, and Sirmaur.

Yellow is the least dangerous of the weather warnings - it indicates the possibility of severe weather over the next few days that could affect people.

Melting of Arctic ice impacts India

Researchers found that rising temperatures in the region is causing the sea-ice to melt faster than expected.

The study was conducted by Germany-based Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research.





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The faltering of Transpolar Drift could lead to weather implications across countries, including India.

Global coalition for clean cooling launched

The first-ever global coalition on clean and efficient cooling was launched at the First Global Conference on Synergies between the 2030 Agenda and Paris Agreement, which concluded on April 3, 2019, in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The Global Coalition links action across the Kigali Amendment, Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.

India has developed its National Cooling Action Plan.

CO2 levels highest in 3 million years

The levels of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in the atmosphere were higher on 4 April 2019 than ever before in the past three million years.

A study found that ice age onset, and the start of the glacial cycles from cold to warm and back, was mainly triggered by a decrease of CO2-levels.

Global mean temperatures never exceeded by more than 2 degree Celsius in the past 3 million years.

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