17 April 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

17 April 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

1. The Overstory’ by Richard Powers wins Pulitzer Prize 2019 for fiction

• The winners of the 2019 Pulitzer Prizes has announced from the World Room at Columbia University’s School of Journalism by Administrator Dana Canedy.
• The Overstory (by Richard Powers) a sprawling epic about the wonderful life and alarming death of trees, has won this year’s Pulitzer Prize for fiction.
• The Washington Post won two prizes, as did The New York Times.
• The Wall Street Journal won one and the Sun-Sentinel won its second Pulitzer for Public Service.
• The late American singer-songwriter Aretha Franklin (known as ‘The Queen of Soul’) posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize Special Citation honour for her contribution to the American music and culture,
• Drama: Fairview, by Jackie Sibblies Drury.
• History: Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, by David W. Blight (Simon & Schuster).

Note:

• The 2019 Pulitzer Prizes (in 21 categories) were awarded by the Pulitzer Prize Board for work during the 2018 calendar year.
• The award is administered by Columbia University in New York City

Source: pulitzer.org

2. Jailed Reuters journalists in Myanmar win UN press freedom prize

• The United Nations' cultural agency had awarded its annual press freedom prize to two Reuters reporters jailed in Myanmar.
• The 2019 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize awarded to Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo (bars since December 2017) as a tribute to their courage and commitment to freedom of expression.
• The two journalists Lone& Soe Oo had been working on stories about a military crackdown and alleged human rights violations in Rakhine state in Myanmar when they were arrested.

Source: TIME

Important Dates

3. Mahavir Jayanti is celebrated across the country today

• Today, the birth anniversary of 24th and last Jain ‘Tirthankar Bhagwan Mahavir’ is being celebrated across the country.
• It is one of the most sacred days for Jain people.
• The followers of Lord Mahavir celebrate this festival by chanting prayers, offering Prasad and participating in chariot processions.

Note:

• Lord Mahaveer was born in Ikshvaku dynasty as the son of King Siddhartha of Kundagrama and Queen Trishala.

4. 17 April: World Haemophilia Day

• The World Haemophilia Day is being observed worldwide on 17th April to increase awareness of haemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders.
• The theme of WHD 2019 is ‘Reaching out - connect to your community’.
• Haemophilia is a mostly inherited genetic disorder that impairs the body's ability to make blood clots, a process needed to stop bleeding.

Note:

• World Haemophilia Day was started in 1989 by the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) which chose to bring the community together on 17th April in honour of WFH founder Frank Schnabel’s birthday. 

Source: Haemophilia.org

5. Historic Mujibnagar day being observed today in Bangladesh

• Today, the historic Mujibnagar day is being observed in Bangladesh.
• The day marks the oath-taking ceremony of Bangladesh's first government in 1971 at Baidyanathtala in Meherpur.
• The day is being observed by political parties and social and cultural organisations through various programs across Bangladesh.
• On this day in 1971, senior leaders of the liberation movement of Bangladesh had assembled at Baidyanathtala to form the provisional government of independent Bangladesh.

Note:

• Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was declared the President in absentia as he was arrested and flown to Pakistan after the Pakistan military crackdown on the then ‘East Pakistan’ on the night of March 25, 1971.
• The declaration was followed by a nine-month-long struggle culminating in the independence of Bangladesh on December 16, 1971.

Source: DD news

National Affairs

6. EC cancels polling in Vellore constituency on grounds of misuse of money

• Accepting the recommendations of the Election Commission, President Ram Nath Kovind cancelled polling in Vellore (Tamil Nadu) constituency.
• With this, Vellore has become the first Lok Sabha seat in the history of independent India to have had its elections countermanded over abuse of money power.
• Vellore was scheduled to go to polls with the rest of Tamil Nadu on 18^th April.
• Now, Tamil Nadu goes to the polling for 38 out of the 39 Lok Sabha seats tomorrow.

Source: Indian Express

7. Home Expo India 2019 begins in Greater Noida

• The 8th edition of Home Expo India 2019 has begun at India Expo Centre and Mart in Greater Noida.
• It covers sectors with maximum thrust and growth potential in home decor, furnishing, furniture, flooring and textiles.
• About 500 companies in permanent marts will be exhibiting their collection under these categories. 
• Handicrafts exports during the year 2018-19 were to the tune of 26 thousand 590 crore rupees registering a growth of 15.46% over the previous year.

Note:

• Home Expo India 2019 is a one-stop destination for all your sourcing needs for a variety of Housewares & Decorative products at one place.
• The exhibition has been organized by the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts.

Source: Hindustan Times

 Banking and Finance

8. FPIs remain bullish on Indian markets, pour in Rs 11096 cr in April so far

• Foreign investors have pumped in a net sum of 11,096 crore rupees into the Indian capital markets in April so far, driven by global and domestic factors.
• Foreign portfolio investors (FPI) were net buyers for the previous two months as well, infusing a net sum of 11,182 crore rupees in February and 45,981 crore rupees in March.
• As per depositories data, FPIs invested a net amount of 13,308.78 crore rupees in equities and pulled out 2,212.08 crore rupees from the debt segment during April 1-12, taking the total net investment to 11,096.70 crore rupees.

Note:

• Foreign portfolio investment (FPI) refers to investing in the financial assets of a foreign country, such as stocks or bonds available on an exchange.
• Foreign direct investment (FDI) involves establishing a direct business interest in a foreign country, such as buying or establishing a manufacturing business, building warehouses, or buying buildings.

Source: AIR News

9. RBI puts into circulation Rs 50 banknotes signed by Governor Shaktikanta Das

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has put into circulation 50 rupees denomination banknotes signed by its Governor Shaktikanta Das.
• According to RBI, the design of these notes is similar in all respects to 50 banknotes in Mahatma Gandhi new series.
• All banknotes in the denomination of 50 issued by the Reserve Bank in the past will continue to be legal tender.

Source: AIR news

Sports

10. B K Nayak appointed FIH Health and Safety committee chair

• Col (Dr.) Bibhu Kalyan Nayak has become the first Indian to be appointed Chair of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) Health and Safety Committee by the world governing body.
• Mr. Nayak has extensively trained in Sports Traumatology and Sports and Exercise Physiology from National Institute of Sports Medicine at Havana, Cuba & National Sports Centre at Madrid, Spain.
• Recently, he also served as the Medical Officer for the 2018 Men’s World Cup.
• He was commissioned in the Army Medical Corps of the Indian-Army in 1995 and has worked in the Army Sports Institute, Pune in six years.

Source: The Times of India

11. Mumbai shuttler Harsheel Dani wins Dutch International title

• India’s Harsheel Dani (22-year) has won the 20th Victor Dutch International Badminton title at Wateringen, Netherlands.
• He defeated Denmark's Mads Christophersen 15-21, 21-12, 21-13 in 47 minutes clash.
• Dani won the Ghana international crown last year.

Note:

• The Dutch International is the second largest badminton event in The Netherlands with total prize money of USD 10.000.
• This tournament has been an International Series level tournament and another tournament for Grand Prix level named as Dutch Open.

12. Kento Momota wins Singapore Badminton Open singles title

• Japan's Kento Momota has won the Singapore Badminton Open men’s singles title 2019 by beating Anthony Ginting (Indonesia) 10-21, 21-19, 21-13.
• In the women's final, Tai Tzu-Ying (Taiwan) claimed her second Singapore Open title with a 21-19, 21-15 victory over Nozomi Okuhara (Japan).

Note:

• The 2019 Singapore Open badminton tournament (10^th edition) took place at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore.
• This tournament was organized by the Singapore Badminton Association with sanction from the BWF.