27th April 2015 - Important Current Affairs updates

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International Affairs

Afghanistan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani is on a three day state visit to India.
- During this visit, he would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attend delegation-level talks.
Nepal Earthquake :
- Scaling up relief and rescue efforts in quake-hit Nepal that was named ‘Operation Maitri’, India has deployed two dozen military aircraft and choppers and was also undertaking a “big evacuation” through the road route.
- India today launched a national disaster helpline 1078 as it intensified relief and rescue operations in earthquake-hit Nepal by deploying more aircraft and military helicopters which have brought back over 5,400 people from the Himalayan nation.
- PM Narendra Modi has donated one month's salary to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund, for assistance to those affected by the recent earthquake.
- Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu's proposal to contribute 1-month salary for rehabilitation work in Nepal unanimously accepted by all Lok Sabha MPs.
- Foreign Secretary : S Jaishankar
- Home Secretary : L C Goyal
- Chief of National Disaster Management Authority : R K Jain
- India Meteorological Department head : L S Rathore

National Affairs

The Indian Army has conducted a major exercise, 'Akraman-II', in Rajasthan to test a new generation of weaponry and platforms employed in the desert region, with providing 'real time battle and situational awareness' to its commanders.
- The exercise was conducted by the Bhatinda-based Chetak Corps, a part of South Western Command.

Deaths

One of the most wanted and dreaded terrorist Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who heads the brutal Islamic State jihadist group, is reportedly dead, according to Radio Iran.
- Al-Baghdadi, believed to be in his 40s, had a $10 million US bounty on his head.
- Since taking the reins of the Islamic State in 2010, he had transformed it from a local branch of al-Qaida into an independent transnational military force, positioning himself as perhaps the pre-eminent figure in the global jihadist community.

People in News

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has won re-election.
- Al-Bashir, who took power in a bloodless Islamist coup in 1989, is the only sitting head of state facing genocide charges at the International Criminal Court.
- The charges stem from the conflict in Darfur.
- The four-day vote began April 13. Nearly 13 million people were registered to vote at some 11,000 polling centers. Polling stations in the capital, Khartoum, were largely deserted.

Awards & Honors

Sangeeta Bhatia, an Indian-origin scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who has developed artificial human microlivers for drug testing, has won a prestigious 250,000 dollars Heinz award for her work in tissue engineering and disease detection.
- The Heinz Awards annually recognise individuals for their extraordinary contributions to arts and humanities; environment; human condition; public policy; and technology, the economy, and employment.
- The award includes an unrestricted prize of 250,000 dollars.

Science and Technology

The BioSure HIV Self Test, first HIV self-testing kit that allows people to get a result in less than half-an-hour at home has gone on sale in the U.K.
- his kit claims to have a 99.7 per cent accuracy rate.
- How it Works ?
- - This kit works in a similar way to a pregnancy test, measuring levels of antibodies in a person’s blood.
  - The test detects antibodies on a small drop of blood, taken from the finger-tip using a lancet. These antibodies are often only detectable three months after the HIV infection is caught.
  - Two purple lines appear if the result is positive.
  - Further blood tests are recommended if both lines appear.

New Appointments

The United Nations Secretary-General today announced the appointment of Peter Jan Graaff of the Netherlands as the Secretary-General's Acting Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER).
- He succeeds Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed of Mauritania, who was today appointed as Mr. Ban's special envoy for Yemen.

Sports

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach has put an end to the speculation by confirming that India won't be bidding for 2024 Olympics after meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.
- Mr. Bach who is on a one day official visit to India, said a year after returning from Olympic suspension, Indian Olympic Association still needs to find its feet.
- He said its too quick as of now for India to host the Olympics in 2024.
World champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway has won the Shamkir Chess tournament held in Azerbaijan.
India's Shamjetsabam Sarjubala (48kg) and Pinki Jangra (51kg) clinched god medals at the 22nd President's Cup Open International Boxing Tournament at Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia.
- Pinki, a Commonwealth Games bronze-medallist, defeated Mongolia's Nandintsetseg 2-1 to notch up the yellow metal.
- World Championships silver-medallist Sarjubala, on the other hand, got the better of Russian pugilist Iseva Joya in the final as India ended with two gold medals at the event.

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