Daily Current Affairs 2 April 2019

Hello and welcome to exampundit. Here are the important Daily Current Affairs 2 April 2019. These are important for the upcoming LIC AAO 2019, NHB Assistant Manager, CWC 2019 and SBI PO 2019 Exams.

Daily Current Affairs 2 April 2019

Banking and Finance

 

Merger of Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank, Dena Bank: Power of 3

• The merger of Bank of Baroda, Vijaya Bank, and Dena Bank became effective on April 1, 2019, marking the first-ever three-way merger in India’s banking sector.
• With this, Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank became a part of the Bank of Baroda, leading to the creation of the India’s second largest Public Sector Bank after the SBI and India’s third largest lender overall after the SBI and ICICI Banks with a total business of more than Rs 14.82 lakh crore.
• The amalgamation of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank into Bank of Baroda was first announced in September 2018.
• As per the Reserve Bank of India, all branches of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank will function as branches of Bank of Baroda with effect from April 1, 2019. Customers of these two merged banks will be treated as customers of Bank of Baroda.
• The ‘Scheme of Amalgamation’ of Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank with Bank of Baroda was approved by the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on January 2, 2019.

India imposes anti-dumping duty on import of solar cell component

• India has levied anti-dumping duty worth up to USD 1,559 per tonne on imports of a certain type of sheet used in solar cell making from China, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Thailand for five years to safeguard domestic players against cheap shipments.
• The information was shared by the Department of Revenue through a notification. The anti-dumping duty has been imposed after considering the recommendations of the commerce ministry’s investigation arm Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR).

India and states

ISRO launches 29 satellites including EMISAT

• Indian space agency, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on April 1, 2019 launched the electronic intelligence satellite EMISAT along with 28 other satellites of global customers.
• These 28 satellites, together weighing about 220 kg, belong to Spain (1), Lithuania (2), Switzerland (1) and the United States (24). These include 20 Flock-4A satellites and 4 Lemur satellites.
• Emisat was launched into an altitude of 749 km orbit, while the 28 satellites were launched at an altitude of 504 km orbit.

UAE to issue equivalency to all Indian degrees

• The UAE Ministry of Education has agreed to issue equivalency for all Indian degrees that match the set criteria. The decision comes as a huge relief to the Indian expats living in the gulf nation.
• The announcement was made through a press release issued by the Indian embassy in Abu Dhabi on March 31, 2019. The Indian Ambassador to UAE, Navdeep Singh Suri had called on the UAE Minister of Education, Hussain Al Hammadi, to resolve the issue.
• The UAE Education Ministry agreed to accept Indian academic and professional certificates after the Indian side issued clarification on the issue of the external and internal marks mentioned in mark lists.

Appointments

Zuzana Caputova elected as Slovakia’s first female president

• Zuzana Caputova has been elected as the first female President of Slovakia. The 45-year-old lawyer and anti-corruption activist won 58.40 per cent of the votes in the polls conducted on March 30, 2019.
• Caputova had won an award in 2016 for successfully blocking a planned landfill in her hometown of Pezinok.
• Recently, she had taken to the streets along with thousands of other anti-government protesters after the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak in 2018.

World

China successfully launches second generation data relay satellite

• China has successfully launched the first of its new-generation data relay satellites into orbit that will provide data relay, measurement and control services for its manned spacecraft.
• The Tianlian II-01 satellite was launched by a long March-3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwest China’s Sichuan Province on March 31, 2019.
• As the first satellite to constitute China’s second-generation data relay satellite network, the Tianlian II-01 will provide data relay, measurement and control, transmission services for manned spacecraft, satellites, carrier rockets and other non-spacecraft users.

UAE rejects experts’ report on Yemen

• UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, has rejected a report by the Group of Eminent International and Regional Experts on Yemen.
• And urged the Human Rights Council, to instead refocus on providing support to the Government of Yemen in building institutions to protect human rights in the country.

Days

2019 World Autism Awareness Day observed

• 2019 World Autism Awareness Day is observed on 2 April, 2019.
• The theme of 2019 World Autism Awareness Day is “Assistive Technologies, Active Participation”.

Cities around the world turn off lights to mark Earth Hour

• Cities around the world marked the Earth Hour on March 30, 2019 by turning off the lights in a call for global action on climate change.
• In Hong Kong, major buildings along Victoria Harbour turned off their non-essential lights at 8:30 pm and the city’s popular tourist attraction known as the Symphony of Lights was cancelled.
• Over 3,000 corporations in Hong Kong signed up for Earth Hour 2019, according to the WWF Hong Kong website. Iconic skyscrapers including the Bank of China Tower and the HSBC Building in Central, the city’s major business district, switched off their lights in response to the global movement.

Odisha celebrates 84th foundation day today

• Odisha celebrated its 84th foundation day on April 1, 2019. The day is also known as ‘Utkal Divas.’
• To commemorate the sacrifices of people for the formation of Odisha province in 1936, programmes are being organised at various places across the State.
• Odisha was the first state to be formed on linguistic basis in 1936. Earlier, the state was a part of Bihar.

Sports

Roger Federer lifts his 4th ATP Miami Open title

• Roger Federer lifted his fourth ATP Miami Open title with an emphatic 6-1, 6-4 win over defending champion John Isner on March 31, 2019. The 37-year-old world number five took the first set in 24 minutes.
• In his 50th Masters final, the Swiss fourth seed produced some typically sublime groundstrokes and wrapped up the match in an hour and three minutes.
• It is Swiss player’s 28th Masters Title and the 101st overall for a player who has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles.

India’s Manu Sawhney takes charge as ICC Chief Executive

• India’s Manu Sawhney on April 1, 2019 took charge as the new Chief Executive of the International Cricket Council.
• Sawhney will work alongside incumbent ICC Chief Executive Dave Richardson, who will step down after the World Cup in July 2019.
• Sawhney, former Managing Director of ESPN Star Sports, has already been working alongside outgoing Chief Executive Richardson for the last six weeks to ensure a smooth transition.

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