VINTAGE

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF APRIL 15^th, 2019

              IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF APRIL 15^th, 2019

1.     The 29th edition of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF) is all set to receive more than 1000 exhibitors from 50 countries. 

a.       The Book Fair is scheduled to be held at the UAE capital from 24th to 30th of this month, where more than five lakhs title are expected to be displayed.

b.      Important Note : India has been nominated as the “Guest of Honour” country at the Book Fair this year.

2.     Himachal Pradesh celebrated 72nd Himachal Day on 15th April 2019.

a.       The hill stat came into existence on this day after the merger 30 odd princely states in the year 1948.

b.      About Himachal Pradesh :

i)       Total Districts : 12

ii)     Capitals : Shimla, Dharmashala (2nd Capital in WInter)

iii)   Chief Minister : Jai Ram Thakur

iv)   Governor : Acharya Dev Vrat

v)     Chief Justice : Surya Kant

vi)   Official Language : Hindi

3.     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.       The apex court has also banned new construction activities on private lands which form part of the nine identified animal corridors. 

b.      The ban was ordered as per the recommendations of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC).

4.     The Chennai Central Railway Station, officially called Puratchi Thalaivar Dr. M.G. Ramachandran Central Railway Station, lost world's longest railway station name title by a letter. 

a.       'Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch' in Wales, with 58 letters, remains the world's longest station name. 

b.      Note : Chennai Central station was renamed with the 57-letter name on April 5.

5.     The Union Cabinet has given its approval to create one post of Deputy Comptroller and Auditor General (Coordination, Communication and Information System) in the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. 

a.       The Deputy Comptroller and  Auditor General will oversee the coordination among State Audits, audit of telecommunication and coordinate the various Information Systems initiatives within the Indian Audit and Accounts Department.

6.     The 4th Resilient Cities Asia-Pacific 2019 Congress is being organised by International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) and hosted by South Delhi Municipal Corporation in New Delhi. 

a.       The congress will offer cities & regions from Asia-Pacific a variety of innovative solutions that build resilience to climate change at the sub-national level.

b.      The congress will host combination of high-level plenaries and technical sessions on the implementation and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and the New Urban Agenda of 2016, while at the same time bringing together experts and practitioners who will share their experiences and encourage cities to take actions on resilience.

7.     India's wholesale inflation, measured by Wholesale Price Index (WPI), accelerated to a 3-month high of 3.18% in March.

a.       The increase was mainly boosted by higher prices of food and fuel products.

b.       Inflation in vegetables was at 28.13% in March while fuel and power inflation rose to 5.41% during the period.

8.     For the first time in 3 years, India was the net importer of steel during the financial year 2018-19. 

a.       This was attributed to India losing market share among its traditional steel buyers and an increase in imports of higher-quality steel domestically.

b.      Indian steel exports fell by 34 percent to 6.36 million tonnes in the fiscal year that ended in March 2019.

9.     The 8th edition of Home Expo India 2019 began at India Expo Centre and Mart in Greater Noida today.

a.       It covers sectors with maximum thrust and growth potential in home decor, furnishing, furniture, flooring and textiles. 

b.      About 500 companies in permanent marts will be exhibiting their collection under these categories.  

c.       The 3-day exhibition has been organized by the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts.

10.The union cabinet has approved cooperation agreement between India and Denmark in the field of renewable energy with focus on offshore wind energy.

11.India has successfully test-fired 1st indigenously designed and developed long-range sub-sonic cruise missile 'Nirbhay' from a test range in Odisha. 

a.       The all-weather missile, with 1,000-kilometre strike range, can be launched from multiple platforms and is designed to carry conventional and nuclear warheads. 

b.      It has the ability to fly at low altitudes in order to avoid detection by enemy radar.

12.Scientists at Israel's Tel Aviv University claim to have 3D-printed a heart, the size of a rabbit's heart, using a patient's cells and biological materials.

13.The scientists of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have discovered that water is being released from the Moon during meteor showers. 

a.       Comet debris hit the surface and create a shock wave and for a sufficiently large impactor, this shock wave can breach the soil's dry upper layer and release water from below, NASA said. 

14.The Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of the GSLV Phase - 4 programmesconsisting of 5 GSLV flights during the period from  2021 to 2024. 

a.       The Phase - 4 will enable the launch of two tonne class of satellites for Geo-imaging, Navigation, Data Relay Communication and Space Sciences.

b.      The programme will meet the launch requirement of satellites for providing critical Satellite Navigation Services, Data Relay Communication for supporting the Indian Human spaceflight programme and the next interplanetary mission to Mars. 

15.Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who have been jailed in Myanmar for the past 490 days, have won the Pulitzer Prize for revealing the massacre of 10 Muslim Rohingya men by Buddhist villagers and Myanmar security forces. 

a.       The duo was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment for violating Myanmar's Official Secrets Act in September 2018.

16.Cairn Oil & Gas, a subsidiary of Vedanta, has appointed Ajay Dixit as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO). 

a.       The appointment comes after Sudhir Mathur stepped down as the company's CEO earlier this month.

17.The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today announced India's 15-member squad for 2019 Cricket World Cup, which will take place in England and Wales from May 30 to July 14. 

a.       Virat Kohli, who led India to Under-19 World Cup victory in 2008, will lead the senior team in World Cup for the first time, while MS Dhoni will feature in his fourth World Cup.

b.      Rohit Sharma will be the Vice-Captain. 

c.       Tamil Nadu player Vijay Shankar made it for his "all-rounder" capabilities.

d.      Note : This is the 12th edition of the World Cup, to be hosted in England and Wales, where 10 teams will be participating.

18.Golfer Tiger Woods clinched his 5th Masters and 15th major title after winning by one stroke at Augusta National.

a.       It was the 43-year-old's 1st major title victory in 11 years and his 1st Masters win since 2005. 

b.      Note : Woods is now just 3 major titles behind all-time leader Jack Nicklaus.