07-08 April 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

1. Lin Dan wins 2019 Malaysian Open Badminton singles title

Chinese veteran Lin Dan (36-years) has won the Malaysian Open Badminton singles title in the men's final at Axiata Arena Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
He defeated countryman Chen Long 9-21, 21-7, 21-11.
Lin Dan is a two-time Olympic champion, five-time World champion, as well as a six-time All England champion.
In the women's singles final top seed Tai Tzu Ying (Taiwan) saw off Japanese Akane Yamaguchi 21-16,21-19.

Note:

The 2019 Malaysia Open (9th) is a badminton tournament which takes place at Axiata Arena in Malaysia from 2 to 7 April 2019.
This tournament is organized by the Badminton Association of Malaysia with sanction from the BWF.

2. World’s oldest soccer player Isaak Hayik sets Guinness record

Israel’s soccer player Isaak Hayik (73-years) broke the record after playing as a goalkeeper in an afternoon game with Israel’s Ironi Or Yehuda soccer club.
The Iraqi-born keeper was officially recognised in an award ceremony attended by representatives from the Guinness World Record organisation.
The previous record was held by Robert Carmona of Uruguay, who in 2015 played a professional match with Uruguay’s Pan de Azucar at the age of 53-years.

Source: BBC

3. Sathiyan books World Cup berth

G. Sathiyan (10^th-seeded) stunned fifth seed Wong Chun Ting of Taipei 12-10, 10-12, 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 in the playoff for 5-8 positions at the Asian Cup table tennis championship.
The win helped Sathiyan qualify for the World Cup.
Sathiyan lost to a former World Cup, Olympic and World champion in Ma Long.

Source: The Hindu

4. ITBP organises first National Sky Running Championship

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) along with Sky Running Association of India organised the National Sky Running Championship (junior and senior categories) at Mountaineering and Skiing Institute of ITBP at Auli in Uttarakhand.
This is the first time such championship was organised at a high altitude of up to 4000 metres.
Various athletes from ITBP, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Uttarakhand participated in the championship.

Note:

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) is one of the seven Central Armed Police Forces of India intended for deployment along India's border with Tibet.

Source: Business Standard

Appointment

5. Praful Patel becomes 1st Indian to be elected as the member of FIFA Executive Council

All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel (62-years) has become the first Indian to be elected as a member of the FIFA Executive Council for four years (2019 to 2023).
He got 38 out of 46 votes.
Mr Patel was one of the eight candidates vying for the spot in the election which was held during the 29th Asian Football Confederations Congress in Kuala Lumpur.

Source: AIR News

6. Justice Pradeep Nandrajog sworn in as Chief Justice of Bombay High Court

Justice Pradeep Nandrajog was sworn in as the new chief justice of Bombay High Court.
He was administered the oath by Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao at the Raj Bhavan in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Justice Nandrajog was serving as the Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court since March 2017, following his transfer from the Delhi High Court.

Note:

Bombay High Court is one of the oldest High Courts of India, located in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
Its jurisdiction covers the states of Maharashtra and Goa, and the Union Territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

Source: Indian Express

Important Days

7. 7^th April: World Health Day

The 'World Health Day’ is a global health awareness day celebrated every year on 7th April to mark the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO).
The day provides with a unique opportunity to mobilize action around a specific health topic of concern to people all over the world.
The tagline for this year's World Health Day is "Universal Health Coverage: everyone, everywhere".

Note:

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health.
It was established on 7th April 1948, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.
The WHO is responsible for the World Health Report, the worldwide World Health Survey, and World Health Day.

Source: UN.org

Obituaries

8. 2002 Medicine Nobel Prize Winner Brenner passes away

Biologist Sydney Brenner (92-years) passed away in Singapore.
Brenner discovered fundamental steps in how cells use DNA to make the proteins that enable life.
Brenner helped decipher the genetic code and jointly won the 2002 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Brenner born in South Africa Brenner was an alumnus of Oxford University.

Source: Science Magazine

National Affairs

9. Biannual Army Commanders’ Conference begins in New Delhi

Today, the biannual Army Commanders’ Conference has begun in New Delhi.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has delivered her opening address at the conference.
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.
It is an important event for the planning and execution process of the Indian Army.

Source: Economic Times

10. Phayeng Village becomes India’s first carbon-positive settlement

Phayeng Village of Manipur has been tagged as India's first carbon-positive settlement.
A village is given the carbon-positive tag if it sequesters more carbon than it emits, slowing the accumulation of greenhouse gases and mitigating the effects of climate change.
Phayeng is a scheduled caste village of the Chakpa community in Imphal West district.
As part of the carbon-positive village project, Phayeng will receive a grant of Rs10 crore in phases to facilitate afforestation in the catchment of river Maklang that flows along the village.

Source: The Hindustan Times

Banking and Finance

11. Lakshmi Vilas Bank to merge with India Bulls Housing

Chennai-based Lakshmi Vilas Bank is set to merge with India Bulls Housing Finance in a share-swap deal.
It reflects the trend of consolidation in the financial services sector.
The boards of both entities approved the merger proposal.
The shareholders of Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) will get 14 shares of India Bulls Housing Finance (IBHF) for every 100 equity shares held in the bank.

12. NTPC Signs Rs 2,000 crore Term Loan pact with Canara Bank

The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) has inked a term-loan agreement with Canara Bank to raise Rs 2,000 crore.
The loan facility is extended at an interest rate linked to three months MCLR of the Bank.
This loan has a door to door tenure of 15 years and will be utilised to part finance the capital expenditure of the NTPC.
NTPC's core business is the generation and sale of electricity to state-owned power distribution companies and State Electricity Boards in India.

Note:

NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation Limited) Limited is an Indian Public Sector Undertaking, engaged in the business of generation of electricity and allied activities.
The headquarters of the company is situated at New Delhi.

Source: Business Standard

International Affairs

13. UAE announces long-term visas for best 100 Arab start-ups

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Government has announced granting long-term visas for the top 100 start-ups shaping the fourth industrial revolution.
Earlier, 100 Arab start-ups were selected at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa, held in Jordan.
The Forum witnessed for the first time bringing together 100 emerging companies from the Arab region, which are working to shape the future of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The UAE is a global incubator for emerging innovations. Our innovation-friendly legislative structure is essential for start-up companies.
According to the World Economic Forum's latest report, 20% of the Arab world's 100 most promising startups are based in the UAE.
The initiative aims to further integrate the Arab world's most promising start-up entrepreneurs into a national and regional dialogue on pressing challenges.

Source: AIR news