Current Affairs Daily Digest – April 17 & 18 2021
Current Affairs Daily Digest – April 17 & 18 2021. Read and Download daily, monthly Current Affairs Daily Digest 2021 for competitive exams like UPSC, SSC, IBPS, SBI etc,. Download month wise Current affairs 2020 PDF and Current affairs quiz PDF .
1. Pakistan temporarily blocks all social media platforms
Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior issued a notification on April 16, 2021 directing the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to temporarily block complete access to all social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Whatsapp, Telegram and YouTube.
The social media websites were blocked across the country between 11 AM and 3 PM on April 16th. The Ministry did not mention the reason for the suspension.
2. Flipkart acquires Cleartrip for $40 million
Bengaluru-based e-commerce company and Walmart-backed Flipkart on April 15, 2021, announced its plan to acquire Cleartrip for $40 million. In a bid to diversify its e-commerce offerings, Flipkart will acquire a 100 per cent stake in one of the oldest travel booking company in India, Cleartrip.
3. UK Government approves extradition of fugitive economic offender Nirav Modi
The United Kingdom Home Secretary Priti Patel approved the extradition of fugitive Indian economic offender Nirav Modi. This was informed by a Central Bureau of Investigation official on April 16, 2021.
This is great news for India, as Nirav Modi is wanted in India on the charges of money laundering and fraud.
4. Turkey bans Crypto Currency payments
The Bitcoin currency tumbled more than 4% after the Central Bank of Turkey banned the use of Crypto currencies and crypto assets for purchases. The bank cited possible irreparable damages and transaction risks as the reason for the ban.
The ban followed actions of Morocco in banning the currency and is expected to be implemented in India as well.
5. Asian Wrestling Championship: Vinesh Phogat wins Gold
The Indian Wrestler Vinesh Phogat has won her maiden Gold at the Asian Wrestling Championship. She won the medal beating Taipei’s Meng Hsuan Hsieh.
Vinesh had earlier won four bronze and three silver medals. This is her third gold medal, but first at the Asian Wrestling Championship.
6. Microsoft buys AI speech tech company Nuance for $19.7 billion
Microsoft has made its second-biggest acquisition after LinkedIn. The tech giant has bought AI speech tech firm Nuance for $19.7 billion. The move will help Microsoft’s prowess in voice recognition and will give it a boost in the health care market.
Nuance is known for its Dragon software which helps to transcribe speech using deep learning. In 2016, Microsoft had purchased LinkedIn for $26 billion.
7. Lifetime Achievement Award received by Roberto Benigni
Director Roberto Benigni will be receiving the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, which runs from September 1 to 11. The organisers confirmed the news about the two-time Oscar-winning actor-director.
8. NASA to launch SpaceX Crew 2 on April 22
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is set to launch four astronauts to the International Space Station on World Earth Day (April 22). NASA is to launch the mission along with SpaceX. It is the second crewed operational flight of Crew Dragon Spacecraft.
9. Suresh Raina’s memoir ‘Believe’ to release in 2021
A book titled ‘Believe – What Life and Cricket Taught Me’, the much-awaited Suresh Raina autobiography is set to hit the bookstands in May 2021. The book is Co-authored by Raina and sports author Bharat Sundaresan, the biography will be published by the prestigious publishing house, Penguin India.
10. RBL Bank Mastercard partner to offer first-of its-kind payment functionality
RBL Bank and Mastercard have announced their partnership to launch a mobile-based consumer-friendly payment solution ‘Pay by Bank App’, a first-of-its-kind payment functionality in India. RBL Bank account holders can now enjoy contactless transactions across the world through their mobile banking application both in-store and online.
11. 8th Indo-Kyrgyz Special Forces Exercise ‘Khanjar’ Flags off
The 8th Indo-Kyrgyz Joint Special Forces Exercise “Khanjar” was inaugurated at the Special Forces Brigade of National Guards of the Kyrgyz Republic in Bishkek, the capital of the host Kyrgyzstan. Initiated first in 2011, the two-week-long special operations exercise focusses on high-altitude warfare, mountain warfare and counter-extremism exercises.
12. PM Modi released 4 books related to Babasaheb Ambedkar
PM Narendra Modi has paid tribute to India’s first law minister and the architect of the Indian Constitution Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar on his birth anniversary and released four books based on his life.
PM Modi has addressed the 95th Annual Meet and National Seminar of Vice-Chancellors of the Association of Indian Universities via video conferencing and launched four books related to Dr BR Ambedkar, written by Kishor Makwana.
13. Renowned Radiologist Dr. Kakarla Subba Rao Passes Away
Renowned radiologist, Dr Kakarla Subba Rao, who served as the first director of Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Hyderabad, has passed away.
Rao was conferred Padma Shri in 2000, by the Government of India for his contributions to the field of medicine. He was the founder president of the Telugu Association of North America (TANA), an umbrella organisation for Telugu speaking people in the United States.
14. World Hemophilia Day: 17 April
World Hemophilia Day observed globally on 17 April every year. This day is observed to raise awareness for hemophilia and other bleeding disorders. The date was chosen in honour of the World Federation of Hemophilia founder Frank Schnabel birthday. This year is the 30th edition of World Haemophilia Day.
The theme for 2021 World Hemophilia Day is “Adapting to Change: Sustaining care in a new world”.
15. Former CBI Chief Ranjit Sinha passes away
Former Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Ranjit Sinha has passed away. He was a 1974-batch IPS officer of the Bihar cadre, who served as CBI Director from 3 December 2012 to 2 December 2014.
