1 Trump becomes the first former US President to face criminal trial
Donald Trump has become the first former US President to face criminal trial . He appeared in a Manhattan court to face charges of paying a porn star with hush money. The case could disrupt his bid to win back the presidential election in November. Donald Trump served as the 45th President of the United States from January 20, 2017, to January 20, 2021.
2 United Nations agency International Atomic Energy Agency expressed concern about the possibility of Israel’s attack on Iran’s nuclear bases.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations body that monitors nuclear energy- related matters , has expressed concern about the possibility of an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear bases . International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi has appealed for maximum restraint in this regard. He said that Iran has temporarily closed its nuclear bases keeping security in mind due to the possibility of large-scale missile and drone attacks from Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for a second meeting of his War Advisory Council in less than 24 hours to decide on action in response to Iran’s attack. However, his government has not yet announced any decision in this regard.
3 The Emir of Kuwait appointed Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah as the new Prime Minister of the country
The Emir of Kuwait has appointed Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah as the new Prime Minister of the country. The decision was taken following the resignation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah on April 7. Following the election of a new parliament on 4 April, Sheikh Mohammed submitted the resignation of his cabinet on 6 April. His resignation was a procedural step after the new Parliament was elected. The new Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmed is an economist from Kuwait. He was the Minister of Finance and Communications from 1999 to 2005, before serving as the Minister of Health, Oil and Information from 2006 to 2011.
4 India increased its strictness on investment in India through Mauritius in the agreement signed with Mauritius to avoid its double tax.
India has removed a major loophole in its double tax avoidance agreement with Mauritius, which has increased the restrictions on investment in India via Mauritius . In this regard, the new protocol to the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement, DTAA, was signed on March 7 this year. The latest amendment includes a Principal Purpose Test (PPT) to determine this. This test tells whether a foreign investor based in Mauritius is genuinely entitled to tax exemption or wants to invest in India only for tax benefits. DTAA is a bilateral agreement aimed at preventing double taxation of income earned in one country by residents of another country.
5 Lee Hsien Loong will leave the post of Prime Minister, Lawrence Wong will be made the next PM.
The Office of the Prime Minister of Singapore announced on 15 April 2004 that the current Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong , would resign from office on 15 May 2024, and the current Deputy Prime Minister, Lawrence Wong , would succeed him. Lawrence Wong will be sworn in as the fourth Prime Minister of Singapore on 15 May 2024. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong became the third Prime Minister of Singapore in 2004, after Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong left office in 2004. The first Prime Minister of Singapore was Lee Kuan Yew. Since its independence, Singapore politics has been dominated by the People’s Action Party and all Prime Ministers have been from this party. Singapore is a parliamentary democracy whose President is directly elected by the people. Singapore is one of the few countries where voting is compulsory for registered adult voters.
6 Uttar Pradesh’s first glass skywalk bridge ready to open in Chitrakoot
Uttar Pradesh’s first glass skywalk bridge was constructed at Tulsi (Shabari) waterfall in Chitrakoot . The attractive bridge, which looks like the bow and arrows of Lord Rama, was constructed in the Kodand forest area at a cost of Rs 3.70 crore. The Forest and Tourism Department has led the construction of the Glass Skywalk Bridge in collaboration with Pawansut Construction Company of Ghazipur. Last year, the state government changed its name to Tulsi Water Falls. The importance of this site as the birthplace of Goswami Tulsidas in Rajapur and the presence of the temple of Lord Shri Ram makes it a popular tourist destination. The design of the bridge is highly aesthetic, the length of the arch towards the ditch is 25 meters and the width of the bow between the two pillars is 35 meters.
7 Longte Festival of Nyishi Tribe of Arunachal Pradesh
The Nyishi tribe of Arunachal Pradesh is celebrating their Longte festival . Longte, one of the biggest festivals of the Nyishi tribe, began with much pomp and enthusiasm among the people in different parts of the state. Longte festival is a unique tribal festival celebrated by the Nyishis tribe in Arunachal Pradesh. Unlike other festivals, it does not involve animal sacrifice. Therefore, it is the only festival that prohibits the killing of animals during or after the event. Instead, the altar is decorated with decorative white feathers of domestic fowl and bamboo flowers to mark the occasion. Longte Yulo is one of the oldest festivals of the Nyishis tribe. It is celebrated by the Dodum clans of Niyishi including Koloriang, Chiang Tajo, Huri, Damin, Sarali, Parsiparlo etc. This festival is celebrated with traditional gaiety and devotion at the beginning of spring season in April.
8 IISc designs a hydrogel to remove microplastics from water
Scientists at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have created a sustainable hydrogel to tackle the problem of plastic pollution . The hydrogel has a unique polymer network that can bind and destroy microplastics found in water using UV light radiation. Microplastics are tiny plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in size and are distributed all over the planet, from oceans to mountains. These tiny particles can enter our body through the water we drink, posing a serious threat to our health. Although scientists have attempted to eliminate microplastics through filtering membranes, the membranes become clogged with particles, making them no longer sustainable. As a result, the IISc team led by Professor Suryasarathy Bose, Department of Materials Engineering, turned to 3D hydrogels as a solution.
9 Delhi Airport 10th busiest airport in the world
Another record has been added to the name of Delhi ‘s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI Delhi). According to the list released by Airports Council International (ACI) World, Delhi Airport has been included in the list of ten busiest airports in the world for 2023 . America’s Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport tops the list. Dubai International Airport is at second place in the ACI World list and Dallas Airport is at third place. Five of the busiest airports in the ACI World list are from the US. Whereas Delhi’s IGI Airport is at number 10 in this list.
10 iPhone exports cross $10 billion under PLI scheme
American company Apple has exported a record $10 billion worth of iPhones from India in 2023-24 under the Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI) . This is almost double the export of last year. The iPhone export is the largest ever export of a single branded product by any company from India. Under PLI scheme, the aim is to promote exports of electronic companies. The export target for Apple under PLI was $10 billion which was to be achieved by 2024-25. But Apple has achieved this target a year earlier i.e. in 2023-24 itself. 70 percent of Apple’s total iPhone production in 2023-24 is exported.
11 Rohit became the first Indian cricketer to hit 500 sixes in a T20 match.
Rohit Sharma recently created a new record by becoming the first Indian batsman to hit 500 sixes in T20 cricket . This achievement highlights his potential as a prolific hitter in modern cricket. Chris Gayle (1056) tops the current list , while Kieron Pollard is at second place with 860 sixes in 660 matches.
12 Mykolas Alekhna broke the oldest record in athletics in discus throw.
Mykolas Alečna of Lithuania has broken the long-standing men’s world record in the discus throw event . He threw the discus 74.35 meters at the Oklahoma Throws Series competition held in Ramona, United States on 14 April 2024. Just a day before Mykolas Alekhna’s world-record performance, the Ramona track and field arena also saw a stellar performance from Cuba ‘s Yaime Pérez , who threw the discus 73.09 meters . This was the longest discus throw by women in the world since 1989. Mykolas Alekhna broke the 38-year-old record of 74.08 meters set by East Germany’s Jurgen Schulte . This is the longest standing record in athletics to date. Jurgen Schulte created this world record by throwing the discus 74.08 meters on June 6, 1986 in Neubrandenburg (Germany).
13 Jonathan Christie wins singles title at 2024 Badminton Asia Championships
Indonesian badminton player Jonathan Christie won his first Asian Badminton Championships by defeating Chinese player Li Shi Feng in the final of the 2024 Badminton Asia Championships on 14 April 2024 . The 41st Badminton Asia Championships was held from April 9 to 14 in Ningbo, a coastal city in China’s Zhejiang province. The Badminton Asia Championships is a BWF Super 1000 event. This means that the winner of the competition in singles, doubles gets 1000 points. It was also the last qualifying event before the Summer Paris Olympics, to be held from 26 July to 11 August 2024. Reigning All England Open champion Jonathan Christie was in good form and won his match in straight sets 21-15,21-16. Earlier, he had lost in the final of the 2022 Badminton Asia Championship held in Manila, Philippines.
14 Stefanos Tsitsipas wins Monte Carlo Masters 1000 for the third time
25-year-old tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece won his third ATP Monte Carlo Masters 1000 title by defeating Norway’s Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-1, 6-4. He has previously won the title in 2021 and 2022. Two-time French Open runner-up Casper Ruud later apologized to fans of the final for failing to challenge Stefanos Tsitsipas. World No. 6 ranked Casper Ruud defeated world No. 1. In the semi-finals, No. 1 Novak Djokovic has qualified for the final. Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals and world number two Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals. Stefanos Tsitsipas has joined the list of tennis greats to have won the major clay court ATP Masters three times. Björn Borg, Thomas Muster and Ilie Nastase have won this competition three times each. Rafael Nadal has won the Monte Carlo Master a record 11 times.
15 famous musicians. G.S. Jayan passed away at Tripunithura in Kochi
Famous musician K. Yes. Jayan died in Tripunithura , Kochi . He was 90 years old. Known for his devotional songs, Jayan composed over a thousand songs and has been the music director of some Malayalam and Tamil films. He is survived by his twin brother, late K.G. Along with Vijayan, Jaya-Vijaya were known as brothers in the world of South Indian music. Padma Shri awardee Jayan was also honored with the Kerala Music Academy and Harivarasanam awards. Malayalam actor Manoj K Jayan is his younger son.
