Current Affairs Daily Digest – April 3 2019
1. 4th Session of India-Ukraine working group on Trade and Economic Cooperation held in New Delhi
The 4th Meeting of India-Ukraine Working Group on Trade and Economic Cooperation (IU-WGTEC), under the India-Ukraine Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical, Industrial and Cultural Cooperation was held in New Delhi.
The protocol deals with review of trade, cooperation in the field of small and medium entrepreneurship, cooperation in the field of technical regulation (standardization, metrology, certification, conformity assessment), public-private partnership (PPP) and investment, agriculture, facilitating the access of Ukrainian food products to the market of India, energy sector, finance, granting Ukraine market economy status within the framework of anti-dumping investigations, and banking and cooperation in tourism.
2. Renowned dramatist Kartik Rath dies
Eminent theatre organiser and playwright Kartik Chandra Rath passed away at his residence following a brief illness . Recipient of Kendra Sangeet Natak Akademi award and Odishi Sangeet Natak Akademi award, Rath has penned over hundred plays and directed over 500 plays in his career as a dramatist.
His play “Bhagwan Jane Manisha” staged at the National Theatre festival in Allahabad way back in 1980s gave him an opening as a dramatist from where he scripted a passionate career as a dramatist.
3. Axelsen beats Srikanth to win India Open 2019
Viktor Axelsen dashed Indian hopes with a 21-7, 22-20 win over Kidambi Srikanth at the India Open 2019 final. In a rematch of the 2015 final, the Dane saved a couple of game points in the second game to get his second title after 2017 win.
In women’s singles, Thailand’s Ratchanok Intanon created history by becoming the first women’s singles shuttler to win the title three times, when she beat the third seed He Bingjiao 21-15, 21-14.
With this, she also emulated the legendary Lee Chong Wei’s record to become the second singles player to taste glory thrice at India’s premier badminton event. Her earlier victories came in 2013 and 2016.
4. Reliance Mutual Fund customers can now carry out voice-based transactions
Customers of Reliance Mutual Fund can now carry out voice-based financial transactions, with Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management (RNAM) partnering with internet major Google.
For the first time in India, Reliance Mutual Fund for its customers is introducing a conversational interface that would help customers shop with the fund “just by listening and speaking to your smartphone or digital device through a series of voice commands.
5. Saurav Ghosal becomes first Indian man to enter top-10 in Squash rankings
Saurav Ghosal became the first Indian male squash player to enter the top 10 in the latest PSA world rankings. Indian women squash players Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal had earlier reached top-10 in the world rankings.
Ghosal made it to the quarter-finals of the 2018-2019 PSA World Championships in Chicago, USA for the first time in his career. He was also a quarter-finalist at the prestigious Grasshopper Cup in Zurich, Switzerland.
6. Growth Outlooks for India and Southeast Asia Cut by ADB
The Asian Development Bank downgraded economic growth forecasts for India and Southeast Asia for 2019 as global risks from trade tensions to Brexit mount.
Gross domestic product in India will probably increase 7.2 percent this year, down from a December forecast of 7.6 percent, according to the ADB’s latest Asian Development Outlook report. Southeast Asia’s growth estimate was lowered by 0.2 percentage point to 4.9 percent.
7. ICC to join hands with Interpol to fight corruption in sport
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has sought closer working relations with the Interpol to widen the scope of its fight against corruption in the sport. The cooperation was discussed during ICC Anti-Corruption Unit General Manager, Alex Marshall’s visit to the Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France.
8. NuGen Mobility Summit 2019
The International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) is organizing a NuGen Mobility Summit, 2019, at Manesar, NCR, from 27th to 29th November 2019. The objective of the Summit is to share new ideas, learnings, global experiences, innovations and future technology trends for faster adoption, assimilation and development of advanced automotive technologies for a smarter and greener future. This event will help in building a platform for bringing together all stakeholders in the automotive industry to understand global advancements in technologies.
The Summit is being organized in association with SAENIS, SAE INDIA, SAE International, NATRiP, DIMTS, Department of Heavy Industry, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, SIAM and ACMA. More than 2500 participants and over 250 exhibitors are expected to take part in the Summit.
9. Air Marshal D Choudhury AVSM VM VSM takes over as SASO Hq WAC
Air Mshl D Choudhury AVSM VM VSM has taken over as Senior Air Staff Officer, Western Air Command.
Air Mshl D Choudhury AVSM VM VSM is an alumnus of National Defence Academy and was commissioned on 22 Dec 1983. The Air Officer is a Fighter Combat Leader and an Instrument Rating Instructor and Examiner. He is an alumnus of Royal College of Defence Studies UK, a Post Graduate in Strategy and International Security from King’s College London and Master of Philosophy on Defence and Strategic Studies.
10. NASA plans to land astronauts on Mars by 2033
After plans to land American astronauts on the Moon by 2024, four years ahead of its previous schedule, NASA now proposes to put humans on Mars by 2033.
At a congressional hearing on NASA’s budget in fiscal year 2020 on Tuesday, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine cited the goal of putting astronauts on Mars by 2033, as a reason why NASA need to accelerate its Moon landing plan..
11. Bengaluru begin Super Cup defence with Chennai clash
Saurav Ghosal became the first Indian male squash player to enter the top 10 in latest Professional Squash Association (PSA) world rankings. Ghosal made it to the quarter-finals of the 2018-2019 PSA World Championships in Chicago, USA for the first time in his career.
He was also a quarter-finalist at the prestigious Grasshopper Cup in Zurich, Switzerland. Egypt’s world champion Ali Farag, meanwhile, maintains his position at the top of the ladder. Indian women squash players Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal had earlier reached top 10 in the world rankings.
12. UN chief appoints investigation head for Myanmar
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Nicholas Koumjian of the US as head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar.
Koumjian will be the first head of the Myanmar mechanism, which was established by the Human Rights Council on September 27, 2018 and welcomed by the General Assembly on December 22, 2018.
13. South Korea to launch world’s first national 5G networks
South Korea launches the world’s first fully-fledged 5G mobile networks. The system will bring smartphones near-instantaneous connectivity 20 times faster than the existing 4G allowing users to download entire movies in less than a second.
It is crucial for the future development of devices ranging from self-driving vehicles that send data traffic to one another in real time, industrial robots, drones and other elements of the Internet of Things.
14. Garuda Prakashan launches ‘Modi Again’ and ‘Saffron Swords’
One of India’s homegrown startup publishing houses – Garuda Prakashan – is all set to launch its next two books ‘#Modi Again’ and ‘Saffron Swords – Centuries of Indic Resistance to Invaders’ after the success of its recently launched books – ‘Urban Naxals’ by Vivek Agnihotri and ‘Thank you India’ by Maria Writh.
15. On Foundation Day, Odisha receives 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, an organisation functioning under the auspices of the Union ministry of commerce & industry.
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.
Kandhamal in Odisha’s southern hinterland is famed for its turmeric, a spice that enjoys its pride of place in an array of cuisines. The agricultural product also stands out for its healing properties and arresting aroma.
16. Tata Power, Indraprastha Gas to offer integrated services
Tata Power and Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) signed a memorandum of understanding to set up integrated customer services and optimise value for customers.
The pact will also cover common safeguard activities of underground assets (pipes and cables) including the right of way for activities like maintenance and laying of pipes and cables, routine patrolling of under and above ground assets. Both the entities will also explore possibilities of cooperation in electricity generation, optical fibre network and integrated utility services for water, electricity and gas.
