Daily Current Affairs, 20th April 2019

1) Cipla Chairman Yusuf Hamied Receives UK Royal Society Honour

•Prominent scientist and businessman Yusuf Hamied is among a host of Indian-origin experts honoured in the 2019 list of new fellows of the UK’s Royal Society.

•The 82-year-old chairman of pharmaceutical major Cipla has been made an Honorary Fellow of the prestigious body, comprising of many of the world’s most eminent scientists.

2) Book On Jallianwala Bagh Poem ‘Khooni Vaisakhi’ Released In UAE

•A book containing English translation of the 100-year-old classic Punjabi poem about Jallianwala Bagh massacre, ‘Khooni Vaisakhi’ has been released in Abu Dhabi. India’s Ambassador to the UAE Navdeep Singh Suri commended the launch of the book.

•The poem was translated by Mr. Suri whose grandfather, revolutionary poet and novelist Nanak Singh, a Jallianwala Bagh survivor, wrote it after witnessing first-hand the events of April 13, 1919.

3) INS Kolkata, Shakti To Participate In IFR In China

•The Indian Navy will participate in International Fleet Review (IFR) that is scheduled to take place in Qingdao, China as part of 70th Anniversary celebrations of People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy).

•The Indian Navy would be represented in the IFR by indigenously built stealth guided missile destroyer INS Kolkata and fleet support ship INS Shakti.

4) India And France To Hold Largest Ever ‘Varuna’ Naval Exercise Off Goa Coast

•India and France will conduct their largest ever naval exercise ‘Varuna‘ in May 2019. It will witness the participation of aircraft carriers, destroyers, submarines, and fighters.

•India will deploy its aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya with its MiG-29K fighters. Similarly, the French Navy will send its aircraft carrier FNS Charles de Gaulle with its Rafale-M naval jets, and other warships for the “Varuna” exercise.

5) Exim Bank Funds Projects Worth USD 267 mn In Rwanda

•Exim Bank has provided soft loans of USD 266.60 million to Rwanda for various projects. The funding, done in three separate tranches to Rwanda, is to support agricultural projects, development of special economic zones (SEZs) and for financing a road project in the African nation.