APPOINTMENTS
Simon Harris became the new Prime Minister of Ireland.
• Simon Harris assumed office as the new Prime Minister of Ireland, succeeding Leo Varadkar, who had resigned abruptly the previous month due to personal and political reasons.
• The Irish Parliament voted 88 to 69 in favor of Mr. Harris, who later received official appointment in a ceremony presided over by President Michael D. Higgins, thus becoming the youngest-ever Prime Minister in the country's history.
• The Indian government has set a bold target to completely halt urea imports by 2025, signaling a concerted effort to enhance domestic production and bridge the existing supply-demand disparity.
• Mr. Harris, a member of the center-right Fine Gael party, ascended to the position of Prime Minister after being elected as the party's leader without opposition.
• His appointment follows Mr. Varadkar's resignation and underscores the seamless transition within the ruling coalition, which comprises three parties.
• Ireland, situated in north-western Europe with Dublin as its capital, operates as a unitary, parliamentary republic. Its legislative body, known as the Oireachtas, comprises the lower house, DailEireann, and the upper house, Seanad Eireann.
• The ceremonial head of state is the elected President (Uachtarán), while the head of government, the Taoiseach (Prime Minister), is elected by the Dail and appointed by the President.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
China surpasses India as world's largest crude oil importer
• According to the report by energy cargo tracker 'Vortexa', China overtook India to become the leading importer of Russian crude with 1.82 million barrels per day (bpd) in March 2024 through sea routes.
• In March 2024, total crude oil imports for India rose to 4.89 million bpd, up from 4.41 million bpd the previous month.
• Apart from China, India also imports crude oil from other countries, such as Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
• The 'Vortexa' report pointed out that China removed India from importing major Russian crude in March 2024.
• India has imported crude oil from China and other countries as well as from other regions, which deals with different quality and delivery price.
NATIONAL NEWS
President DroupadiMurmu inaugurated a two-day Homeopathic Symposium on 10 April 2024.
• On April 10, 2024, President DroupadiMurmu inaugurated a two-day Homeopathic Symposium at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre in Dwarka, New Delhi, coinciding with World Homeopathy Day 2024.
• World Homeopathy Day, observed annually on April 10th, carries the theme "Homeoparivar: One Health, One Family" for this year.
• The event, organized by the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) under the Ministry of Ayush, revolves around the theme of 'Empowering Research, Enhancing Proficiency.'
• It aims to promote holistic health and wellness while advancing the utilization of cutting-edge techniques in homeopathic research.
• Following the inaugural ceremony, a session on 'Words of Wisdom' will be conducted.
• Additionally, seventeen CCRH publications will be released, and Padma Awardees will be honored during the event.
SangeetNatakAkademi is organizing ‘Shakti - Festival of Music and Dance’.
• The SangeetNatakAkademi is orchestrating the 'Shakti - Festival of Music and Dance,' a cultural extravaganza taking place at seven revered Shaktipeeths across India from April 9th to 17th.
• This festival serves as a homage to temple traditions in the country, aiming to revitalize and celebrate these age-old customs.
• Under the auspices of the Kala Pravah series, the SangeetNatakAkademi has strategically scheduled the Shakti festival to coincide with Navaratri, a period of significance in Hindu culture.
• The festival commenced on April 9th at the Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati, Assam, and will continue its journey to various sacred sites, including the Mahalakshmi Temple in Kolhapur, Maharashtra; Jwalamukhi Temple in Kangada, Himachal Pradesh; Tripura Sundari Temple in Udaipur, Tripura; Ambaji Temple in Banaskantha, Gujarat; and Jai DurgaShaktipeeth in Deoghar, Jharkhand.
• The culmination of the Shakti festival is scheduled for April 17th, 2024, at the ShaktipeethMaaHarsidhi Temple in Jaisinghpur, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. This grand finale promises to be a fitting tribute to the divine feminine energy revered across the nation..
New Year Ugaadi festival celebrated in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
• On April 09, Telugu-speaking people across the world celebrated the festival of Ugadi with traditional enthusiasm and gaiety to mark the Telugu New Year.
• To mark the beginning of the Hindu Lunar calendar, this festival is celebrated across Telangana, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
• Ugadi is celebrated on the first day of Chaitra, the first month of the Hindu calendar.
• People in rural and urban areas of Telangana celebrate Sri 'Shobhakrithu Nama Ugadi' according to the Telugu calendar.
• GudiPadwa, also known as SamvatsarPadvo, is a Marathi new year celebrated by Maharashtrians and Konkanis people all over India.
• GudiPadwa falls on the day Chaitra Navratri starts.
• This year, the festival has been celebrated on April 9 in Maharashtra. In Maharashtra, GudiPadwa has a special significance.
AWARDS
India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission team has been given US space exploration award.
• India's Chandrayaan-3 mission team has been honored with the US space exploration award for its exceptional contribution to raising space exploration standards.
• The 2024 Jack Swigert Jr. Award was bestowed upon the team in recognition of their remarkable achievement.
• Chandrayaan-3, developed by ISRO, marked India's historic landing on the South Pole of the Moon, making it the first country to achieve this feat.
• The award was received by India's Consul General in Houston, D C Manjunath, on behalf of ISRO during the opening ceremony of the annual Space Symposium in Colorado.
• Presented annually by the Space Foundation, the Jack Swigert Award acknowledges extraordinary accomplishments in space exploration and discovery by a company, space agency, or consortium of organizations.
• It pays tribute to the memory of astronaut John L. “Jack” Swigert Jr., known for his role in the Apollo 13 lunar mission.
15th "CIDC Vishwakarma Award" has been given to GAIL (India) Limited in the "Achievement Award for Best Construction Projects" category.
• GAIL (India) Limited won the award for its Barauni – Guwahati Natural Gas Pipeline project (BGPL).
• On behalf of the company, GAIL's Director of Projects, Deepak Gupta, and Executive Director of Projects, AK Tripathi, accepted the award.
• The BGPL project has connected North-East India with the National Gas Grid for the first time.
• It is an integral part of Jagdishpur – Haldia&Bokaro – Dhamra Pipeline project.
• GAIL (India) Limited is India’s leading natural gas company. It is a central PSU.
• It was founded in 1984. It was founded in New Delhi. Sandeep Kumar Gupta is its Chairman and MD
SUMMIT AND CONFERENCES
Clean Economy Investor Forum will be organized by Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) in Singapore.
• Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) will host its first clean economy investor forum in Singapore on June 5-6.
• India will also showcase selected ‘investible sustainable infrastructure projects’ at the forum. It is focused on energy transition, sustainable aviation fuel, battery storage hydrogen, green data centres, etc.
• This forum will bring together the region’s largest investors, innovative startup entrepreneurs, and cutting-edge project proponents and government agencies to boost investment.
• The main aim of the forum is to mobilise investments into sustainable infrastructure, climate technology, and renewable energy projects.
• Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF):
• It was launched in May 2022.
• It provides a platform for countries in the region to collaborate on advancing resilient, sustainable, and inclusive economic growth.
• 14 countries are members of this Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity.
• Trade, Supply Chain, Clean Economy and Fair Economy are the four pillars of IPEF.
