Current Affairs - April 20, 2024 Current Affairs

Kaushik Rajashekara, a distinguished professor at the University of Houston's Cullen College of Engineering, was honoured with an International Fellowship by the Engineering Academy of Japan. This recognition highlights his significant contributions to power conversion and transportation electrification, earning him a place among a select group of global engineering experts.

Meta's advanced AI assistant, Meta AI, is powered by the state-of-the-art language model Llama 3. This technology enhancement, announced by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, aims to improve user experiences across Meta's popular apps and includes global expansion and integration with major tech partners like Google and Bing for real-time information delivery.

Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India inaugurated a new engine assembly line at Manesar, Haryana, with a daily capacity of 600 engines for 110cc to 300cc models. This expansion is aimed at boosting CKD exports and reinforcing HMSI's commitment to the global market.

RuPay's 'Link it, Forget it' campaign at IPL 2024 promotes RuPay credit cards integrated with UPI, encouraging consumers to switch to convenient digital transactions and eliminate the need for physical wallets. This initiative emphasizes the ease and security of using RuPay for digital payments.

CRED, the Bengaluru-based fintech start-up, has secured in-principle approval for a payment aggregator license, allowing it to facilitate merchant payments directly. This development expands CRED's services beyond reward-based credit card payments, enhancing its role in the digital payments landscape.

Nalin Prabhat, a 1992 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, has been appointed as the Director-General of the National Security Guard (NSG). His appointment is effective until his superannuation on August 31, 2028. The NSG is a specialized force tasked with countering terrorist activities, hijackings, and high-risk situations.

Santosh Viswanathan has been appointed as the Vice President and Managing Director for the India region at Intel. This strategic move aims to leverage his experience to drive value and customer-centricity in India's rapidly growing market, reflecting Intel's commitment to the region.

NASA has confirmed a mission named Dragonfly to explore Titan, Saturn's largest moon, with a budget of $3.35 billion and a launch date set for July 2028. Dragonfly is designed as a "dual quadcopter" for surface exploration, equipped to investigate various locations on Titan and conduct scientific measurements primarily from the moon's surface. This mission aims to explore prebiotic chemical processes common to Titan and early Earth, representing a significant milestone in planetary exploration for NASA.

Chinese engineers and scientists developed the world's first satellite allowing smartphones to make calls without mobile towers. The Tiantong satellite initiative addresses emergencies where mobile connectivity might be disrupted, enabling people to seek help by connecting directly to an overhead communication orbiter. This technological advancement, initiated after the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, highlights China's commitment to enhancing communication resilience, especially in remote or disaster-prone areas.

National Civil Service Day is celebrated annually on April 21st in India. It commemorates the first Home Minister of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and highlights the historical significance of civil services in the country.

European astronomers have recently uncovered the largest stellar black hole in our Milky Way galaxy, known as 'BH-3'. This discovery marks a significant milestone in astronomical research, as 'BH-3' boasts a mass 33 times greater than our Sun. What makes this finding even more remarkable is its proximity to Earth, situated a mere 2,000 light-years away. This discovery was made possible by the Gaia Space Observatory, operated by the European Space Agency (ESA), which meticulously maps celestial objects' positions and movements. 'BH-3' stands out as a rare and exceptional cosmic entity, expanding our understanding of the universe's vast and mysterious phenomena.

Keki Mistry has been appointed as the chairman of the HDFC Life Insurance board, replacing Deepak S Parekh. This decision was made by the board and is subject to approval from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA). Vibha Padalkar serves as the CEO of HDFC Life Insurance, and the company was founded in 2000 with its headquarters in Mumbai.

Tamil Nadu emerged as the leader in electronics exports with a remarkable achievement of $9.6 billion in FY23-24, representing a significant portion of India's total exports in this sector. This achievement underscores the state's growing importance in the electronics manufacturing industry and its potential for continued growth in the coming years.

Airtel Payments Bank has introduced NCMC-enabled debit and prepaid cards in collaboration with NPCI, aligning with India's One Nation, One Card vision. These cards offer versatile payment options and enhanced security features, catering to various transaction needs of customers.

Ajith Kumar KK has been approved by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as the new Managing Director & CEO of Dhanlaxmi Bank. This approval comes during the bank’s preparation for a ₹300 crore rights issue to strengthen its capital position. Ajith Kumar KK's appointment follows a period of senior management changes and internal conflicts within the bank.