IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS
OF APRIL 8th, 2019
IMPORTANT
CURRENT AFFAIRS OF APRIL 8th, 2019
1.
The 6th edition of the joint military training exercise between
the Indian Army and the Sri Lankan Army, Exercise Mitra Shakti concluded
today in Sri Lanka.
a. The 2-week
long training that commenced on 26th March, came to an end with a grand smart
and scintillating joint parade by the two continents.
b. During the
past 14 days, both the contingents jointly planned and executed a series of
tactical operations based on scenarios that are likely to be encountered in the
rural & urban environment.
c. The two army
contingents also shared the best practices of each other to further enhance
their learning experiences.
d. Started in
2013, exercise Mitra Shakti is in continuation of a series of joint exercises
that is conducted annually as part of military diplomacy to enhance cooperation
between the armies of India & Sri Lanka.
2.
India and Sri Lanka have agreed to increase
cooperation in security and defence spheres in several areas, including
regional security, curbing drug smuggling and human trafficking.
a. The issues
came up for discussion when Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra called
on Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirsena in
Colombo during his official visit.
3.
The biannual Army Commanders’ Conference began
in New Delhi today.
a. Defence
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will
delivered her opening address at the conference.
b. During the
conference, important issues that are likely to be discussed are the management
of the extant security dynamics, mitigation of future security threats and
enhancement of combat edge over potential adversaries.
c. The
Conference, chaired by the Chief of the Army Staff is held biannually for
formulating important policy decisions.
d. It is an
important event for the planning and execution process of the Indian Army.
4.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Supreme Court has
directed the Election Commission to increase Voter
Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) verification from 1 EVM per
constituency to 5 randomly selected EVMs.
a. The court
said the practice will ensure the "greatest degree of accuracy,
satisfaction" in the election process. EC said it will implement the SC
directions with immediate effect.
5.
The Goa government has extended the retirement
age for doctors working in its institutions from 60 to 62.
6.
A National Seminar on “Greenery and Landscaping” was
organized by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD).
a. The seminar
focused on Green Urban Areas.
7.
The 75th anniversary of the Battle of Kohima was
recently observed by the Nagaland government with
representatives from the UK and Japan.
a. Theme : 'Remembrance,
Reconciliation and Rebirth'.
8.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
has revealed 4 of its spacecraft have broken own world record for navigating
with a GPS signal farther than ever before at around 1.87 lakh kilometres from
Earth.
9.
NASA has also announced that its rocket engine test reached the
milestone required to carry astronauts to the Moon.
a. NASA revealed
the engine was tested around 32 times since its first test on Jan 9,
2015.
b. Note : NASA's
Space Shuttle Program had ended in 2011, following which it started paying
Russia around $80 million per astronaut to ferry them to the ISS.
10. India's imports
from China totalled $60 billion during
April-January period of 2018-19, a 5% fall from the year-ago period, according
to the PHD Chamber of Commerce.
a. India's trade
deficit with China eased to $46 billion during the period from $53 billion a
year ago, it added.
b. India's
export to China totalled nearly $14 billion during April-January 2018-19.
11. The National
Green Tribunal (NGT) today formed a committee to look into the
alleged erosion of Yamuna floodplain due to movement of heavy
vehicles in Haryana's Sonipat district.
a. The committee
comprises the principal secretary of the Haryana Irrigation and Water Resources
Department, member secretary of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board and
the director of the Mines and Geology Department.
b. The committee
would submit a joint report within one month by e-mail so that matter can be
taken up before the monsoon. The next hearing in the matter is due on May 24.
12. Biologist Sydney
Brenner (92) who helped decipher the genetic
code and jointly won the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine,
passed away.
a. He had
jointly won the Nobel Prize for "discoveries concerning genetic
regulation of organ development and programmed cell death".
13. Chinese
badminton ace Lin Dan clinched the Malaysia
Open in Kuala Lumpur today. Here is the complete winners list.
a. 2019
Malaysian Open Badminton
o
Men’s Singles : Lin Dan (China)
o
Women’s Singles : Tai Tzu-ying (Taiwan)
o
Men’s Doubles : Li Junhui & Liu Yuchen (China)
o
Women’s Doubles : Chen Qingchen & Jia Yifan (China)
o
Mixed Doubles : Zheng Siwei & Huang Yaqiong (China)
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