Current Affairs Daily Digest – March 28 2019
1. India-African Union sign MoU on strengthening cooperation in healthcare sector
An agreement has been signed between India and the African Union to establish an India-Africa health sciences collaborative platform. the MoU will pave the way for cooperation in research and development, capacity building, health services, pharmaceutical trade and manufacturing capabilities for drugs and diagnostics.
2. Govt decides to infuse around Rs 5000 Cr into Bank Of Baroda
The government has decided to infuse around five thousand crore rupees into state-owned Bank of Baroda ahead of merger of two other public sector lenders Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank with Bank of Baroda. The merger of Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank with Bank of Baroda would be effective from 1st April.
The Bank of Baroda, in a regulatory filing, said that the finance ministry through its notification conveyed its decision to infuse capital of 5,042 crore rupees in the bank.
3. Solskjaer appointed Manchester United manager
Manchester United confirmed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager of the club. The former striker who played for the team from 1996 until his retirement in 2004 took over as caretaker manager in December after Jose Mourinho was sacked.
As a player, Solskjaer was an integral part of the club’s unprecedented success during the late 1990s and early 2000s, and scored the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final that sealed an historic treble for United.
4. After Tim Apple, Trump calls Google CEO Pichai ‘President of Google’
Days after referring to Apple CEO Tim Cook as Tim ‘Apple’, US President called Google CEO Sundar Pichai as the ‘President of Google’ in his tweet. “Just met with @SundarPichai, President of @Google, who is obviously doing quite well.
5. Bajrang, Rani, Pant, Bhaker receive DSJA awards
Asian Games gold medallist wrestler Bajrang Punia, hockey star Rani Rampal, cricketer Rishabh Pant and pistol shooting sensation Manu Bhaker were presented the Delhi Sports Journalists Association (DSJA) best sportspersons awards by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President Narinder Dhruv Batra.
6. Fast&Up signs Mayank Agarwal as brand ambassador
Fast&Up, flagship sports nutrition brand of Aeronutrix Sports Products Private Limited announced the signing of Indian cricketer Mayank Agarwal as it’s brand ambassador.
Since its inception, Fast&Up has supported sportspersons, athletes and fitness enthusiasts to promote active living and the importance of nutritional supplements for enhanced performance.
The brand has focused on nurturing top quality athletes representing various sports under the aegis of ‘Fast&Up- Fit Squad’. The Fast&Up- Fit Squad is supporting over 100 athletes across the country.
7. 31-year-old Hopman Cup replaced by new ATP Cup
The city of Perth in Western Australia (WA) will no longer play host to the Hopman Cup, Tennis Australia confirmed . Instead, the mixed tournament format will be replaced with an all men’s event called the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) Cup.
Played across three cities, Perth will join Sydney and Brisbane as the hosts of the new competition which is set to feature 100 of the world’s top male players.
“With 750 ATP ranking points and approximately 22 million Australian dollars ($15.6 million) in prize money, the ATP Cup is guaranteed to attract the best international tennis players to Perth every summer,” WA tourism minister Paul Papalia said.
8. Adani becomes first Indian port operator to record 200 MMT cargo movement
Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ) has recorded cargo movement of more than 200 million metric tonnes (MMT) at nine ports along the east and west coasts, becoming the first Indian port operator to achieve the milestone.
“Our projections were to reach this milestone by 2020 but we could achieve it ahead of schedule, courtesy the tech-driven operational efficiency and enhanced asset utilisation,” said APSEZ Chief Executive Officer Karan Adani.
Going forward, APSEZ plans to double the growth up to 400 MMT by 2025. The company said it will integrate conventional business processes with tech-driven innovations and new-age digital technologies.
9. BoB set to develop digital agri platform for farmers
Bank of Baroda has signed a memorandum of understanding with agriculture services companies to develop an agriculture digital platform, Baroda Kisan, which will provide solutions for agricultural requirements.
The initiative is being executed by ITCoE of Bank of Baroda, in partnership with IBM India. The platform intends to make a holistic approach towards solving agricultural plights by means of providing reliable and customised information, inputs for use, convenience of renting farm equipment, and market linkage for sale of agriculture produce.
Bank of Baroda has signed the agreement with Skymet Weather Services, Weather Risk Management Services, BigHaat, Agrostar India, EM3 Agri Services, and Poorti Agri Services.
10. Malayalam writer Ashita passes away
Well-known Malayalam writer and poet Ashita passed away at the age of 63 here at a private hospital in Thrissur on Wednesday.
The celebrated short story writer was born on April 5, 1956, in Thrissur. She had pursued her graduation and post graduation in English Literature from Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam.
As many as twenty books including poems, translations and children’s literature were published on Ashita’s name. Some of her noted works include ‘Apoorna Viramangal, ‘Vismaya Chhihnangal and Ashithayude Kathakal.
11. Veselin Matic set to be India’s basketball coach, Govindarajan re-elected BFI president
Veselin Matic, who took Iran to an Asian Games bronze medal in 2010, is set to be appointed as the new head coach of the Indian men’s basketball team. The Serbian’s name had been cleared by the sports ministry last week, BFI Secretary General Chander Mukhi Sharma stated , with only a few formalities left to be completed. He is expected to arrive by the end of April.
A veteran international coach, Matic helped Iran qualify for its first ever World Championship (2010) with victory in the 2009 FIBA Asia Championship. The 58-year-old has also coached the Polish and Lebanese national teams, and was last with Syria.
12. BCCI ombudsman Jain doubles up as ethics officer
Supreme Court-appointed BCCI ombudsman retired Justice D.K. Jain will now double up as the ethics officer of the Indian cricket board. It comes after the Committee of Administrators (CoA) requested the apex court to appoint an ethics officer who would look into matters of conflict of interest.
13. Israel unveils world’s longest salt cave
Israeli researchers say they have discovered the world’s longest salt cave near the desert site where, according to the Bible, Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt.
The 10-km long warren of underground passages and chambers in Mount Sodom, overlooking the Dead Sea, was mapped out over two years by cavers from nine countries, led by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The cave is called Malham.
