Dear Readers, Daily Current Affairs News Updates about the National and International events were listed here. Read Current Affairs Today here and stay updated with current news. Candidates those who are preparing for IBPS/SBI/PO/Clerk exam and all other competitive exams can use this and try Current Affairs Quiz to test your knowledge level.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS
National Maritime Day
- On 5th April every year in India National Maritime day is observed because on this date in 1919 navigation history was created SS Loyalty, the first ship of The Scindia Steam Navigation Company Ltd journeyed to the United Kingdom.
- The day was first celebrated on April 5, 1964.
- This day is celebrated to spread awareness in supporting intercontinental commerce and the global economy.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Theme 2019 | Indian Ocean-An Ocean of opportunity |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: NATIONAL
Government to set up Multi Disciplinary Terror Monitoring Group for J&K
- The government set up a multi-disciplinary terror monitoring group (TMG) to ensure synergised and concerted action against terror financing and other terror-related activities in Jammu & Kashmir.
- The multi-disciplinary terror monitoring group will have representatives from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, Intelligence Bureau, CBI, NIA, and Income Tax Department.
- The body will take coordinated action in all registered cases relating to terror and terror financing and bring them to logical conclusion
- It will also investigate the network of various channels being used to fund terror and terror related activities and take coordinated action to stop flow of such funds.
- The Terror Monitoring Group will meet on weekly basis and submit their action taken report regularly
WhatsApp launched tip line to curb fake news
- WhatsApp has launched a tip line for Indians to submit rumours and uncertain information to combat false news in India during the national election.
- Developed in collaboration with India-based media skilling startup PROTO, the tip line feature will help create a database of rumours to study misinformation during elections as part of a research project commissioned and assisted by WhatsApp
CURRENT AFFAIRS: INTERNATIONAL
Over 113 mn people across 53 countries experienced acute hunger last year: UN
- According to a new joint UN and European Union (EU) report, more than 113 million people across 53 countries experienced acute hunger last year, with conflict, climate-related disasters and economic turbulence mainly driving the food insecurity crisis,
- The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP) and EU ‘Global Report on Food Crises 2019 shows that the number going chronically-hungry has remained well over 100 million over the past three years
- Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan and Syria were among the eight nations accounting for two-thirds of the total number of people worldwide exposed to the risk of famine, according to Food and Agriculture Organisation’s 2019 global report on food crises.
- There were 11 million fewer people believed to be in food crisis in 2018 compared with 2017
- An additional 143 million people in another 42 countries are just one step away from acute hunger. Living in “stressed conditions”
- short-term outlook of food insecurity for 2019 showed that “Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, the Syrian Arab Republic, Sudan, South Sudan and northern Nigeria are expected to remain among the world’s most severe food crises in 2019
CURRENT AFFAIRS: BANKING AND FINANCE
Sebi extends phase 1 deadline of UPI for retail IPO investors till June 30
- Markets regulator Sebi extended the timeline for the implementation of phase 1 of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) as an alternative payment mechanism for retail investors buying shares in a public issue from March 31 2019 to June 30 2019.
- The timeline for implementing phase 2 and phase 3 shall remain unchanged from the date of completion of phase 1.
- In November 2018, SEBI has issued a circular to introduce the use of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) as a payment mechanism with Application Supported by Block Amount (ASBA) for applications in public issues by retail individual investors through intermediaries.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) |
| SEBI Headquarters | Mumbai |
| SEBI Chairman | Ajay Tyagi |
Fitch affirms India’s rating at BBB- with stable outlook for 13th year in row
- Fitch retained India’s sovereign rating at ‘BBB-‘, the lowest investment grade, with stable outlook, saying a weak fiscal position continues to constrain its rating.
- This is the 13th year in a row that global rating agency Fitch has rated India at ‘BBB-‘. It had last upgraded India’s sovereign rating from ‘BB+’ to ‘BBB-‘ with a stable outlook on August 1, 2006.
- Fitch expects growth of 6.8 per cent in the current fiscal and 7.1 per cent in the next.
- Fitch Ratings is a subsidiary of Hearst Corporation.
| USEFUL INFO |
| FITCH HQ | Newyork, USA |
| CEO | Paul Taylor |
| President | Ian Linnell |
Karnataka Bank signs MOU with Bharti Axa Life Insurance
- Karnataka Bank has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Bharti AXA Life Insurance Company to distribute the latter’s life insurance products
- This is the third such tie-up by the bank after PNB MetLife Life Insurance Company and LIC of India, both of which continue to provide insurance solutions to the customers of Karnataka Bank.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Karnataka Bank Headquarters | Mangalore |
| Karnataka Bank Tagline | Your Family Bank, Across India |
| Karnataka Bank CEO | Mahabaleshwara M S |
RBI sets WMA Limit for Government at Rs. 75000 crore
- The Reserve Bank of India, in consultation with the Government of India, has decided that the limits for Ways and Means Advances (WMA) for the first half of the financial year 2019-20 (April 2019 to September 2019) will be Rs. 75000 crore.
- The Reserve Bank may trigger fresh floatation of market loans when the Government of India utilises 75% of the WMA limit.
- The interest rate on WMA will be Repo Rate and overdraft will be 2% above the Repo Rate.
- The Reserve Bank of India gives temporary loan facilities to the centre and state governments as a banker to government. This temporary loan facility is called Ways and Means Advances (WMA).
- The WMA scheme for the Central Government was introduced on April 1,1997, after putting an end to the four-decade old system of adhoc (temporary) Treasury Bills to finance the Central Government deficit
CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION
Vipin Anand assumes charge as new Managing Director of LIC
- Vipin Anand took charge as the Managing Director of the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC).
- He was in charge of LIC’s western zone, comprising of 23 divisions and he has also headed LIC’s east-central zone
| USEFUL INFO |
| LIC HQ | Mumbai |
| LIC Tagline | Zindagi ke Saath bhi, zindagi ke baad bhi |
| LIC Chairman | M. R. Kumar |
Rakesh Malhotra appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Cameroon
- Shri Rakesh Malhotra has been appointed as the High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Cameroon.
- He was presently working as Consul General, Consulate General of India, Melbourne
| USEFUL INFO |
| Cameroon Capital | Yaounde |
| Currency | CFA Franc, Central African CFA franc |
| President | Paul Biya |
Former Bollywood actress Mayoori Kango appointed as Google India industry head
- Former Bollywood actress Mayoori Kango is now Google India industry head
- Before joining Google India, Mayoori has worked as a Managing Director in Performics which is part of Publicis Groupe.
- Mayoori Kango started her career at the age of 15 and featured in Saeed Akhtar Mirza’s National Award winning film, Naseem. Her other movies includes ‘Papa Kehte Hai (1996)’,Betaabi (1997), Hogi Pyaar ki Jeet (1999) and Badal (2000).
CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE
Srilanka Army to hold Exercise ‘Western Shield’ in July
- The biggest-ever military exercise organised by the Sri Lanka Army – Exercise Western Shield – with the largest-ever contingent of infantrymen is scheduled to begin on July 1, with the support of other service regiments and Navy and Air Force troops.
- In which 5,000 infantrymen, three General Officers Commanding, nine Brigade Commanders, 15 Commanding Officers and other supportive Army personnel are expected to take part.
- Exercise Western Shield will extend from Mannar to Puttalam, including Kalpitiya, Wilpattu National Park, Mavillu and Thabbowa Forest Reserves and the Western coastal belt and provide the opportunity for Army trainees to march through those areas which are not usually accessible, except to Forest Conservation authorities.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Sri Lanka Capital | Colombo, Jayawardenepura Kotte |
| Currency | Sri Lankan rupee |
| President | Maithripala Sirisena |
Retired IAS officer CS Rajan named Managing Director of IL&FS
- Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) has announced the appointment of CS Rajan, who is a Director on the IL&FS board, as the group’s Managing Director.
- He has taken over the position from Vineet Nayyar, who continues to serve as the group’s Executive Vice Chairman.
- Rajan is an IAS officer of the 1978 batch who retired as Rajasthan Chief Secretary in 2016.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) |
| IL&FS Headquarters | Mumbai |
| IL&FS Chairman | Uday Kotak |
7th Foreign Office consultations between India and Italy held in Delhi
- The 7th Foreign Office consultations between India and Italy were held in New Delhi.
- These consultations provided an opportunity to review the follow-up actions taken after the visit of Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in October last year as well as the entire range of bilateral relations, including political, defence, scientific, economic and commercial ties.
- They also exchanged views on regional and multilateral issues, including cooperation in the United Nations and other international organizations.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Italy Capital | Rome |
| Currency | Euro |
| President | Sergio Mattarella |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU
18 Advance Pricing Agreements signed in March by CBDT
- The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has entered into 18 Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) in March this year, including three bilateral APAs.
- The three bilateral APAs were signed with Australia, Netherlands and the US. The BAPAs and Unilateral APAs (UAPAs) pertain to various sectors and sub-sectors of the economy like anti-friction bearings, risk management solutions platforms, BPO, IT/ITeS, ATMs, industrial and institutional cleaning and hygiene products.
- With the signing of these APAs, the total number of APAs entered into by the CBDT in the year 2018-19 stands at 52, which includes 11 bilateral APAs.
- The total number of APAs entered into by the CBDT as of now stands at 271, which includes 31 bilateral APAs.
| USEFUL INFO |
| Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) |
| CBDT Chairman | Pramod Chandra Mody |
Bureau of Indian Standards inks an MoU with IIT, Delhi
- The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi to collaborate in the field of standardisation and conformity assessment
- The MoU was signed by IIT Delhi Director Professor V Ramgopal Rao and Director General of BIS Surina Rajan.
- According to the MoU, IIT Delhi will provide infrastructure support for research and development projects of relevance to standardisation and BIS will provide financial support to IIT Delhi for projects.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONOURS
PM Narendra Modi awarded UAE’s highest civilian honour Zayed Medal
- UAE President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be honoured with the Zayed Medal, the UAE’s highest civil honour.
- The medal, awarded to kings presidents and heads of states, was conferred upon Modi for boosting relations between the Emirates and India. Previously, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping have also been conferred with the honour.
- The award is in appreciation of Modi’s role in consolidating the long-standing friendship and joint strategic cooperation between the two nations.
| USEFUL INFO |
| UAE Capital | Abu Dhabi |
| Currency | Dirham |
| President | Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan |
CURRENT AFFAIRS: MERGER AND ACQUISITION
Reliance Jio acquires chatbot making startup Haptik for Rs. 700 crore
- Reliance Industries (RIL) subsidiary Reliance Jio Digital has acquired a majority stake in Mumbai based Artificial Intelligence-based conversational platform Haptik for Rs. 700 crore.
- In the 700-crore deal, Rs. 230 crore will go for business transfer and Rs. 470 crore will go towards expansion.
- Reliance will hold about 87% of Haptik while the company’s founders and employees will own the rest of the shares through stock option grants. All of Haptik’s business and holdings will be transferred to Reliance Jio Digital Services.
CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS
Indian Football team climbs two places to 101; Belgium maintains top spot in FIFA Rankings
- Indian Football Team climbed two places to move to 101 rank in the FIFA rankings.
- Iran continued to top the Asian rankings at 21, followed by Japan (26), South Korea (37), Australia (41) and Qatar (55).
- The top three positions are unchanged Belgium remained on top with 1737 points and World Cup winners France(1734) in the second spot ahead of Brazil (1676), in third.
| USEFUL INFO |
| FIFA Headquarters | Zurich, Switzerland |
| President | Gianni Infantino |