Current Affairs Daily Digest – April 19 2021
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1. Railways to run ‘Oxygen Express’ trains via green corridors
Following a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases, the Indian Railways will run ‘Oxygen Express’ trains transporting liquid medical oxygen and oxygen cylinders across the country via green corridors to meet growing demand from states. Green corridors are being created to ensure fast movement of these trains.
2. India’s Mirabai Chanu creates a new Clean and Jerk world record in Tashkent
Mirabai Chanu set a new World Record in the women’s 49kg Clean and Jerk with a massive 119 kg lift at Asian Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent.
The 26-year-old Indian won the bronze medal at the event. The gold medal went to Hou Zhihui of China who created a new world record in snatch. Asian Games, held once every 4yrs, is the 2nd largest multi-sport event after Olympics.
3. Indian expedition to Antarctica returns to Cape Town
The 40th Scientific Expedition to Antarctica (40-ISEA) hosted by the Ministry of Earth Sciences successfully returned to Cape Town after completing a journey of about 12,000 nautical miles in 94 days, including stopovers.
4. Veteran Tamil actor and comedian Vivek passes away
Renowned Tamil actor and comedian Vivek has passed away. He was launched by legendary filmmaker K Balachander in the late 1980s. He went on to become one of the most sought after comedy actors of Tamil cinema in the 1990s and retained a stronghold in the industry.
5. RBI approves re-appointment of Murali Natarajan as DCB Bank MD and CEO
Private sector lender, DCB Bank has received approval from the Reserve Bank of India for the re-appointment of Murali M.
Natrajan as the Managing Director & CEO, for a further period of one year from April 29, 2021. He was appointed as MD and CEO of DCB Bank in May 2009. Prior to joining DCB, Natrajan has worked with foreign banks Standard Chartered & Citibank.
6. Italy launches first ever mega food park in India
Italy has launched its first-ever mega food park project in India, at Fanidhar in the Mehsana district of Gujarat. The project aims to create synergy between agriculture and industry of the two countries and focuses on the research and development of new and more efficient technologies in the sector.
7. Adobe co-founder and PDF developer Charles Geschke passes away
American computer scientist Charles Geschke, best known as the co-founder of graphics and publishing software company Adobe Inc, has passed away. Geschke co-founded Adobe company in 1982 with fellow mate John Warnock. Geschke, who was widely known as Chuck, also helped in developing the popular Portable Document Format (PDF).
8. Max Verstappen Wins Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix 2021
Max Verstappen (Red Bull – Netherlands) won the Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix 2021, in Imola, Italy. This win is his first victory of the season. The race was the second round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship.
9. India Clinches 14 medal at 2021 Senior Asian Wrestling Championship
The 2021 Senior Asian Wrestling Championships was held from April 13 to 18, 2021 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The event was the 34th edition of the Asian Wrestling Championships.
India won 14 medals to stand in the third spot on the medal table. The medals include 5 Gold, 3 Silver & 6 Bronze Medals. Iran and Kazakhstan topped the medal tally with 17 medals each.
10. NASA Awards $2.9 billion contract to SpaceX
The United States space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has picked Elon Musk’s SpaceX for its Artemis programme, to develop the first commercial lander and take the next two US astronauts to the moon. The total value of this contract is $2.89 billion.
11. Former Footballer Ahmed Hussain Passes Away
Former India International Football defender, Ahmed Hussain Lala has passed away due to COVID-19. He represented India in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, where India finished fourth. Besides, he was also part of the Indian team that won the gold medal in the 1951 Asian Games.
12. World Liver Day observed globally on 19 April
World Liver day is observed on the 19 April every year to spread awareness about the second largest organ in the body.
The liver is the second largest and the most complex organ in the body, with the exception of the brain. Liver diseases can be caused by hepatitis A, B, C, alcohol and drugs.
13. Drugs and Cosmetics Act: New Regulatory Regime for eight medical items
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare recently notified eight items to be regulated under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. According to the ministry, this had come into effect on April 1, 2021 under the Medical Devices Rules, 2017 that was enacted in 2017.
14. Study: Only 3% of land areas unspoiled by humans
The researchers from Key Biodiversity Areas Secretariat at Cambridge have figured out the amount of “Intact Habitat” on the earth. An Intact habitat is an unbroken natural landscape with no signs of human activity.
However, the study has included an additional factor to define “Intact Habitat”, which is, in these regions the plant and animal life has been intact as they were five hundred years ago.
15. Hong Kong announces suspension of all flights connecting with India for 14 days
Hong Kong has suspended all flights connecting with India for 14 days from April 20, 2021 till May 3, 2021 in the wake of a sharp rise in cases in the country. Besides India, Hong Kong authorities have also suspended flights from Pakistan and the Philippines.
The Hong Kong government made the announcement on April 18, 2021. The government statement read that 00:00 on April 20, all passenger flights from India, Pakistan and the Philippines will be prohibited from landing in Hong Kong for 14 days.
16. Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel inaugurates first-ever online exhibition on Ramayana
The Tourism and Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel on April 18, 2021, inaugurated the first-ever online exhibition on Ramayana, the epic by Maharishi Valmiki.
The exhibition will be showcasing 49 miniature paintings collections of the National Museum in New Delhi from different art schools of India. It will be dating from the 17th through the 19th century.
