India 4th Biggest Military Spender in 2018: SIPRI Report

India was the world’s fourth biggest military spender last year behind the United States, China, and Saudi Arabia, according to new data think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released on Monday. India was the fifth largest military spender in 2017.

GRSE To Build 8 Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Watercraft For Indian Navy

The Defence Ministry has awarded a contract of worth Rs 6,311 crore to Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE) to build eight anti-submarine warfare shallow watercraft (ASWSWC) for the Indian Navy.

As per the agreement, the first ship is to be delivered within 42 months from the date of signing of the contract and subsequently, two ships are required to be delivered per year. The project completion time is 84 months.

US Withdraws From UN Arms Trade Treaty

President Trump effectively "unsigned" an international arms sales agreement Friday, moving to withdraw the U.S. from the United Nations' Arms Trade Treaty. The agreement sets global standards for regulating transfers of conventional arms, from rifles to tanks and airplanes.

The treaty, known as the ATT, has been in effect since late 2014. The U.S. signed on to the agreement in 2013 but has not ratified the treaty.

PFA Awards 2018/19 Announced: Complete List of Winners

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk and Arsenal Women Football Club’s Vivianne Miedema were named Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Players’ Player of the Year for the 2018-19 season.

Van Dijk is the first defender to take the award since Chelsea centre-back John Terry in 2004-05. Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling and Georgia Stanway were named as the Young Players of the Year.

PFA Player’s Player of the Year:
Virgil van Dyjk, Liverpool.
Vivianne Miedema, Arsenal

PFA Young Player of the Year:
Raheem Sterling, Manchester City
Georgia Stanway, Manchester City

PFA Special Achievement Award:
Steph Houhgton: Former England and WBA.

Golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar Wins Outstanding Achievement As a Player Award

Arjuna awardee and star Indian golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar won the outstanding achievement as a player award at the fourth edition of the annual India Golf Industry Association (GIA) awards at the Delhi Golf Club here on Friday.

The GIA awards were held along with the 8th India Golf & Turf Expo (IGTE), South Asia's largest golf trade show.

Kapurthala-born Bhullar won the 2018 Fiji International, a European Tour event, and also holds the rare distinction of becoming the youngest golfer on the Asian Tour to achieve nine career victories on tour.

Wipro Acquires Philippines' Largest Personal Care Company 'Splash'

Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting (WCCL), the consumer care business of software provider Wipro Ltd, has acquired the Philippines-based personal care maker Splash Corporation for an undisclosed amount to enter the country which has a consumer base of around 100 million.

The maker of Santoor soap and Yardley deodorants said the acquisition will also help complete its Southeast Asian footprint. Splash Corporation is among the top five local companies in the Philippines, where it gets 85% of its annual revenue of around $80 million. Its product categories such as exfoliants and leave-in hair care range are new for WCCL.

Bajrang Punia To Become 1st Indian Wrestler To Fight At Madison Square Garden

Wrestler Bajrang Punia has asked the Indian diaspora in New York for their support on his Twitter handle as he takes on the two-time US national champion Yianni Diakomahlis at the Madison Square Garden on May 6 for the 'Grapple at the Garden' Beat the Streets event, which has become a key platform for international wrestling since 2010. Punia was recommended by the Wrestling Federation of India for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award on April 29.

Asian Wrestling Championship 2019 Concludes: India Finishes With 16 Medals, Iran Tops

India wrapped up their campaign at the Asian Wrestling Championships on a resounding note with 16 medals (1 Gold, 3 Silver & 4 Bronze) after Harpreet Singh settled for a silver in 82kg on the final day of competitions.

Only Bajrang Punia won the gold medal after defeating Kazakhstan’s Sayatbek Okassov by 12-7 in 65kg men’s freestyle. Asian Wrestling Championship 2019 was held at Xi’an, China.

Here is the List of Top 3 Countries in The Medal Tally: 

Former Ethiopian President Negasso Gidada Passed Away

Former president of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Negasso Gidada, reportedly passed away.

The Office of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia has confirmed the news on Friday afternoon. He was 76 years of age.

He served as president for six years until he fell out with the late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi’s administration.

Apart from serving in the role of heads of state, he was a member of Constitution draft Committee.

Youngest Best Director Oscar Nominee John Singleton Passes Away

John Singleton, an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker has passed away following complications from a stroke. He was best known for directing “Boyz N the Hood” and “Poetic Justice,”. Singleton became the first black filmmaker nominated for a Best Director Oscar for his debut feature from 1991, “Boys N The Hood.” He was only 24 at the time.

Cyclone 'Fani' Intensifies Over Bay of Bengal

Cyclonic storm ‘Fani’ is likely to hit Coastal Andhra Pradesh by April 30 as it intensified into a severe storm and trigger thunderstorms, gusty winds and moderate rains in coastal districts and some parts of Rayalaseema.

Cyclone Fani currently lays over east Equatorial Indian Ocean (EIO) and adjoining the southeast Bay of Bengal.

Government Hikes Customs Duty On Wheat To 40%

The government has hiked the customs duty on wheat to 40 per cent from 30 per cent to curb imports and protect the domestic industry. The government wants to restrict overseas purchase so that domestic prices of wheat do not come under pressure as the country's wheat output is expected to scale a record high this year.

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), through a notification, has hiked the basic customs duty (BCD) on wheat to 40 per cent.

In May last year, the government had hiked BCD on wheat to 30 per cent from 20 per cent. 

IRDAI Forms Panel to Review Microinsurance Framework

Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has set up a 13 member committee under IRDAI Executive Director Suresh Mathur to review the regulatory framework on microinsurance & recommend measures to increase the demand for such products.

Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un Hold 1st-Ever talks

Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un met face-to-face for the first time and vowed to seek closer ties.

The meeting was held at Russia’s Pacific port city of Vladivostok. Efforts to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula and ways to boost economic ties were discussed.

Six-party talks on North Korean de-nuclearization started back in 2003. The talks involve China, Japan, Russia, the US along with North Korea and South Korea.

UN, EU Sign Agreement To Strengthen Partnership in Counter-Terrorism Efforts

The United Nations and the European Union (EU) have signed a joint framework aimed at strengthening partnership in counter-terrorism efforts. The UN Office of Counter-Terrorism announced that the framework was enacted on the occasion of the second EU-UN high-level political dialogue on Counter-Terrorism that was held in New York.

The UN-EU initiative will focus on terrorism and violent extremism prevention in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, as well as support victims and promote the reintegration of terrorism offenders.

China Hosted 2nd Belt And Road Forum In Beijing

The second edition of Belt and Road Forum (BRF) was held in Beijing, China in which 37 heads-of-state and 159 countries had participated along with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and International Monetary Chief (IMF) Christine Lagarde.

The theme of this event was “Belt and Road Cooperation: Shaping a Brighter Shared Future”. The Belt and Road Forum is a part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The idea of BRI was first proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013.

5th ABU Media Summit Held In Kathmandu

The 5th Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Media Summit on Climate Action & Disaster Preparedness was held at Kathmandu, Nepal. The theme of the two-day summit was “Media Solutions for Sustainable Future: Saving Lives, Building Resilient Communities”.

Its objective was to address issue of fully utilizing media’s potential of accelerating climate action and disaster preparedness and connect stakeholders to media professionals for collaboration and joint practical projects.

Canara Bank, Canara HSBC OBC Life launch ‘Webassurance’

Canara Bank and its life insurance partner Canara HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance launched ’Webassurance’ to enable its customers to purchase life insurance in a convenient and hassle-free way.

This Life Insurance is jointly owned by Canara Bank (51%) and Oriental Bank of Commerce (23%) and HSBC Insurance Holdings (26%), the Asian insurance arm of HSBC.

Jacques Kallis Receives Ikhamanga Award 2019

Ex-South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis has been honoured with the Order of Ikhamanga in the Silver Division. The national honour is bestowed by the President of South Africa on citizens who have made significant contributions to arts, literature, music, journalism, culture, and sports.

Kallis has been rewarded for his successful cricketing career. He played 166 Tests, 328 ODIs and 25 T20Is, returning 62 hundreds and 577 wickets.

International Dance Day: 29th April

International Dance Day is observed globally on 29th of April.

In 1982 the Dance Committee of ITI founded International Dance Day to be celebrated the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre, creator of modern ballet.

Dominic Thiem Wins Barcelona Open 2019

Dominic Thiem (Austria) won the Barcelona Open 2019 after defeating Daniil Medvedev (Russia). The Austrian became just the fourth player in the past 15 years to lift the title in Barcelona, joining Rafael Nadal, Kei Nishikori and Fernando Verdasco.

Dominic Thiem is also the first Austrian winner at this event since Thomas Muster in 1996. Thiem now has 13 ATP Tour titles, nine of which have come on clay.

2019 Badminton Asia Championships Concludes: Complete List of Winners

The 2019 Badminton Asia Championships, is a badminton tournament which took place at Wuhan Sports Center Gymnasium in China and had a total purse of $400,000. The 2019 Badminton Asia Championships was the 39th edition of the Badminton Asia Championships. This tournament was hosted by the Chinese Badminton Association.

Here is the complete list of winners of 2019 Badminton Asia Championships: 

ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup 2019 Concludes: India Finishes Top

India ended their campaign at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup with a total of four medals, three golds and a silver. China was on the second position with 5 medals including 2 gold. The event was held in Beijing, China.

Divyansh Panwar and Anjum Moudgil had won the first medal for India at the Beijing ISSF World Cup after clinching gold in 10m Air Rifle Mixed event. Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Choudhary won the gold medal in 10m Air Pistol Mixed event.

Claire Polosak To Become First Female Umpire In Men's ODI

Claire Polosak's name will be etched in history on Saturday (April 27) as she is set to become the first female umpire to officiate in a men's One-Day International (ODI). The 31-year-old Australian will break the gender barrier in the final of the World Cricket League Division 2 match, between Oman and Namibia. Claire Polosak on being appointed was left elated and said she wouldn't have made it so far without the support of her husband.

"We go out there to umpire. Not to get a final appointment, but to be a part of a team, to be involved in the game," Polosak told ICC.

Petra Kvitova Wins Maiden Stuttgart's Porsche Grand Prix 2019

World number three tennis player Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) beat Anett Kontaveit (Estonia) to win Stuttgart’s Porsche Grand Prix for her second title of the year. Kvitova is a two-time Wimbledon champion. The championship was held at Stuttgart, Germany.