NATIONAL UPDATES
1. Toll free helpline for women in Assam: The Assam government launched
“181-Sakhi toll-free women’s helpline” to tackle the recent spurt in crime in
the state. This is a scheme of universalization of women helpline and is
launched under the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of
India. This service intends to provide 24 hours immediate and emergency
response to women affected by violence.
2. Three districts of Rajasthan to get the
water of Yamuna soon: Yamuna
river water will be supplied to Churu, Sikar and Jhunjhunu districts in
Rajasthan from Tajewala headworks in Haryana. As per an interstate Yamuna water-sharing
agreement in 1994, 1917 cusec water was allotted to Rajasthan from Tajewala
headworks. The water will be supplied
through a pipeline and the Centre will provide financial assistance for the
same.
3. J.C. Daniel Award for Sreekumaran Thampi: Sreekumaran Thampi has been
selected for the J.C. Daniel Award, the Kerala government’s highest honour for
lifetime contribution to Malayalam cinema. Thampi is a lyricist, director and
scriptwriter who has written over 1,000 melodies since 1966. Thampi had won the
Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi award for lifetime contribution to light music
and drama songs in 2015.
4. Permanent Indus Commission’s 114th meeting
held in Delhi:
India &
Pakistan held the meeting on Indus Water Treaty on 29th March. This will be
the 114th meeting of the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC) that looks into the
sharing of the waters of the Indus since the treaty was signed by the two
countries in 1960. The Indus water treaty covers the water distribution and
sharing rights of six rivers—Beas, Ravi, Sutlej, Indus, Chenab and Jhelum.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES
1. Abdel Sisi re-elected as the Egyptian President: Incumbent Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has been re-elected to
the post for the second time. Sisi won the elections with a brute majority,
amassing a massive 92 percent vote share. Sisi took over as Egypt’s president
for the first time in 2012, replacing the democratically elected Mohamed Morsi.
2. DiCarlo becomes first female UN Political Chief: American diplomat Rosemary
DiCarlo become the first woman to head UN political affairs. DiCarlo will
replace Jeffrey Feltman, who held the post of Under-Secretary-General for
political affairs since 2012. DiCarlo also served as Deputy Assistant
Secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs and director for United
Nations.
3. Agreement for protecting the carbon store: An agreement has been signed to
protect the largest tropical peatland in the world, which is an important
carbon store.
The “Brazzaville Declaration”, signed by the Democratic
Republic of Congo, the Republic of Congo and Indonesia to protect the peatland
ecosystems of Congo basin. The equivalent of three years of global greenhouse
gas emissions is stored in the Congo peatlands.
OTHER UPDATES
SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY:
1. NASA’s mission to study ‘heart’ of Mars: NASA is all set to send the
first-ever mission dedicated to explore the deep interior of Mars. A stationary
lander known as “InSight” will place a seismometer, a device that measures
quakes, on the soil of Mars. It will be launched on 5th May. InSight or the
Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport
mission, carries sensitive instruments to gather data.
2. New organ “Interstitium” found in human body: Scientists have identified a new
organ “interstitium” in the human body, which could help in understanding the
spread of cancer within the body. “Interstitium” is a series of fluid-filled
compartments, found beneath the skin, as well as lining of gut, lungs,
blood vessels and muscles. These compartments join together to form a
network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins.
BUSINESS / ECONOMY:
1. Govt. invites bids to sell 76% in Air India: The government invited bids to transfer management
control along with 76% equity in Air India. The government will retain 24%
stake in Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express. It also
proposed divesting 50% of its stake in Air India Sats Airport Services. Air
India is the country’s flag air carrier with a significant market position in
international and domestic operations.
2. Twitter introduces ‘Timestamps’: Timestamps in Twitter: Twitter has introduced
“Timestamps” – a new feature that will make it easier for its users to share a
key moment from long, live videos. This will help to draw attention to the
specific moment in a live video. The “Timestamps” update has started rolling
out on Twitter for Android and iOS devices.
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