India to be Guest of Honour country at ADIBF 2019

1. SpaceX carries out first commercial launch with Falcon Heavy rocket

SpaceX has carried out its first commercial launch with its Falcon Heavy rocket.It completed the task with placing a Saudi satellite in orbit The rocket carried a Saudi Arabian satellite operated by Arabsat, a year after sending founder Elon Musk’s red Tesla roadster into orbit as a test.

• CEO: Elon Musk
• Founded: 6 May 2002
• Headquarters: California, United States

2. Sudan’s army ousts president Omar al-Bashir

Sudan Defence Minister Awad Ibnouf announced that the President has been removed from power and detained by the army.A three-month state of emergency is being put in place.He said, Sudan’s constitution is being suspended, border crossings are being closed until further notice and airspace is being closed for 24 hours.Mr Bashir is the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), which accuses him of organising war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan’s western Darfur region

• Capital: Khartoum
• Currency: Sudanese pound

3. India to be Guest of Honour country at ADIBF 2019

UAE has announced that India will be the Guest of Honour country at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, ADIBF 2019.It will be held from 24th to 30th April 2019.The fair aims to highlight the UAE’s rich heritage, showcasing its authenticity and modernity, as well as its cultural and literary output.The Indian Pavilion will host Indian authors and literary scholars who will serve as ambassadors for the literature and art of their country

4. Govt retains interest rate for General Provident Fund at 8%

The government has retained the interest rate for General Provident Fund (GPF), Contributory Provident Fund and other related schemes at 8 per cent for the first quarter of the current financial year.The interest rate on these funds was at 8 per cent in the January-March quarter of 2018-19 and government kept it unchanged for April to June for 2019-20.The interest rate will be applicable on provident funds of central government employees, railways and defence forces.

5. TCS, Google partner to build industry-specific cloud solutions

India’s largest software services firm Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has collaborated with tech giant Google to build industry-specific cloud solutions.These solutions will help organisations accelerate their digital transformation and leverage data-driven insights that power superior customer experiences.TCS’ solutions on the Google cloud platform will help enterprises build secure, cloud-native analytics platforms, and are cost-effective, easy to maintain, and future ready.

6.  Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu get the fifth term

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has won 36 seats and surpassed the main rival, the Blue and White party in the 2019 Israel election.The results were released by the committee after two days of counting ballots and delays caused by computer malfunctions.The results mean Netanyahu is heading for a record fifth term in office and would become Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister.

• Capital: Jerusalem
• Currency: Israeli new shekel

7. Vikram Nath appointed as first Chief Justice of new Andhra Pradesh High Court

Justice Vikram Nath, the senior most judge of Allahabad High Court, was appointed on as the first Chief Justice of the newly-constituted Andhra Pradesh High Court.The Collegium of Supreme Court comprising of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi besides Judges S A Bobde and N V Ramana recommended the name of Justice Vikram Nath.The new Andhra Pradesh High court was established on 1 January 2019 this year following the division of a combined high court of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

8. Telugu poet K Siva Reddy selected for prestigious Saraswati Samman 2018

Telugu poet K Siva Reddy has been selected for the prestigious Saraswati Samman, 2018 for his collection of poetry titled ‘Pakkaki Ottigilite’.The award carries a cash prize of  15 lakh rupees, a citation and a plaque.The award, instituted by the KK Birla Foundation in 1991.It is given annually for an outstanding literary work written in any Indian language and published during the last 10 years.

9. Paralympian Deepa Malik named for New Zealand Sir Edmund Hillary Fellowship

Rio Paralympics silver medallist Deepa Malik has been named as the recipient of the New Zealand Prime Minister’s Sir Edmund Hillary Fellowship for 2019.She is the first Indian woman to earn a medal at the Paralympic Games.The Fellowship Program has been running since 2008, which aims to strengthen the relationship between India and New Zealand by showcasing the different aspects of the warm friendship between the two countries.NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant was the recipient of this prestigious fellowship in 2017.