PDF IVth Week 23rd to 30th April 2017 1. World Book and Copyright Day: 23 April The World Book and Copyright Day is celebrated every 23rd of April, a symbolic date in remembrance of the deaths of two major authors: William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes. By celebrating this Day, UNESCO seeks to promote reading, publishing and the protection of copyright. 2. English Language Day: 23 April English Language Day at the UN is celebrated on 23 April, the date traditionally observed as both the birthday and date of death of William Shakespeare. The Day is the result of a 2010 initiative by the Department of Public Information, establishing language days for each of the Organization's six official languages. English, along with French, is one of the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat, and one of the Organization's six official languages. 3. India becomes 2nd largest importer of LPG India toppled Japan as the world’s second-largest importer of liquefied petroleum gas as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pledge to provide cooking gas cylinders to the poor and wean them off polluting fuels, drove up consumption. Imports of LPG, mostly used as cooking fuel, soared 23 percent during the financial year that ended March 31. Japan’s imports slipped 3.2 percent during the same period. China remains the world’s top importer. 4. 1st ‘India Indonesia Energy Forum’ held in Jakarta India and Indonesia have agreed to explore cooperation in areas like oil, coal, electricity and energy efficiency, Power Minister Piyush Goyal said. Goyal and Indonesian Energy and Mineral Minister Ignasius Jonan met during the first 'India Indonesia Energy Forum' held in Jakarta. A Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (Indonesia) on cooperation in the field of oil and gas was signed on the occasion. 5. Australia to import Indian mangoes for first time Indian mangoes will be imported to Australia for the first time after protocols were revised to allow the Asian-grown fruit into the local economy, a media report said. The fruit would be allowed into Australia as long as they were treated with irradiation before leaving India. This meant that Australians would be able to enjoy the fruit long after the local season ended. 6. Pakistan's Gwadar port leased to Chinese company for 40 years A state-run Chinese company will handle the operations of Pakistan's strategic Gwadar port for a period of 40 years. Minister for Ports and Shipping Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo said the China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC) would carry out all the development work on the port on the Arabian Sea. 7. India is now world's fifth largest military spender India's military expenditure grew around 8.5 per cent in 2016, making it the world's fifth largest spender at $55.9 billion. According to figures by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri), India spent $55.9 billion on its military in 2016. US remains the world's largest military spender registering a growth of 1.7 per cent between 2015 and 2016 to $611 billion. China was second largest spender in 2016. The third largest military spender was Russia, while Saudi Arabia dropped to fourth position in 2016 from third in 2015. 8. India, France carry out joint naval exercise The Indian Navy has began a joint maritime exercise with the French Navy at the Mediterranean Sea to further deepen combat coordination between the two navies. Guided missile destroyer INS Mumbai, stealth frigate INS Trishul and fleet tanker INS Aditya are taking part in the 'Varuna' exercise which will continue till April 30. Points to Remember The 'Varuna' series of exercises began in 2000 and have grown into an institutionalised form of interaction between the two navies. Bilateral exercises such as 'Garuda', 'Shakti' and 'Varuna' have been a regular feature between the two nations. 9. World Malaria Day: 25 April World Malaria Day is observed globally on 25 April every year. This year’s global theme for World Malaria Day is ‘End Malaria for Good.’ World Malaria Day is an occasion to highlight the need for continued investment and sustained political commitment for malaria prevention and control. 10. World Intellectual Property Day: 26 April World Intellectual Property Day is observed internationally on every 26 April. The observance of WIPD is organised by World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The aim is to learn about the role that intellectual property rights (patents, trademarks, industrial designs, copyright) play in encouraging innovation and creativity. The theme of this year's World Intellectual Property Day is 'Innovation- Improving lives'. 11. India to host 18th World Road Meeting India is set to host the 18th World Road Meeting (WRM 2017) on November 13, the International Road Federation (IRF) said. The WRM, the biggest global platform for road engineers, safety and transport experts and companies engaged in road safety products, will be attended by over 4,000 delegates from across the world. The theme of this year's edition is 'Safe Roads and Smart Mobility: The Engines of Economic Growth'. 12. Press freedom rankings: India slips 3 places to 136 India slipped three places in the 2017 world press freedom rankings to 136th among 180 countries, the dismal performance blamed on “Modi’s nationalism” and growing “self-censorship” in the mainstream media. In the index, India was ranked just three places above Pakistan and was one place below violence-torn Palestine. India was ranked 133 last year. Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark took the first four positions in the rankings respectively. China was 176th among 180 countries and was described as the “world’s leading prison for citizen journalists”. North Korea was at the bottom of the index. 13. World Immunization Week: 24-30 April 2017 World Immunization Week, celebrated in the last week of April, aims to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease. This Year’s theme is VACCINES WORKS. Immunization saves millions of lives and is widely recognized as one of the world’s most successful and cost-effective health interventions. Today, there are still 19.4 million unvaccinated and under-vaccinated children in the world. 14. Indian short film to be screened by Unesco in Indonesia Rahul V. Chittella's short film "Azaad", starring Atul Kulkarni and Sakshi Tanwar, will be screened by Unesco as part of a World Press Freedom Day event on May 3 in Jakarta, Indonesia. It tells the story of the dysfunctional relationship between a father and his son. The event, being held to celebrate the principle of freedom of press, is taking place in Jakarta from May 1-4. Points to Remember World Press Freedom Day is observed on 3 May every year. This year’s theme is “Critical Minds for Critical Times: Media’s role in advancing peaceful, just and inclusive societies”. 15. Haryana launches mobile app to create awareness among pregnant women The National Health Mission (NHM) in Haryana has launched a mobile-based application to create awareness among pregnant women, parents and health workers. The application, Kilkari, was launched during the concluding day of the 'State-level Orientation Workshop’. 16. National Panchayati Raj Diwas: 24 April 2017 National Panchayati Raj Day is the national day in India celebrated by Ministry of Panchayati Raj on 24 April annually. Then Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh inaugurated the first National Panchayati Raj Day in 2010. Points to Remember The Panchayat Raj system was first adopted by the state of Rajasthan in Nagaur district on 2nd Oct 1959. The second state was Andhra Pradesh. 17. Railways to set up Rs 200-crore solar power plant in Bhilai The Indian Railways is going to set up a solar power plant in Bhilai (Chhattisgarh), where it has spare land, through Railway Energy Management Company Limited (REMCL). The project cost of the 50 MW plant is estimated at Rs 200 crore. Of the total cost, 20 per cent will be borne by the Railways, while the remaining 80 per cent will be raised through debt. This means, the Railways will bear Rs 40 crore of the construction cost, while the power will be purchased through a developer model, wherein the developers will be asked to operate and maintain the solar project. 18. India’s first sea ropeway to link Mumbai and Elephanta island India's first and longest ropeway will connect Mumbai with the Elephanta Island in the Arabian Sea. The proposed 8-km long ropeway will be constructed by the Mumbai Port Trust. The proposed ropeway will start from Sewri in Mumbai's east coast and end at Raigad district's Elephanta Island. Points to Remember Elephanta Island is globally renowned for Elephanta Caves, which is a Unesco World Heritage site. Known locally as Gharapuri Caves, the small 16 sq. km island has several archaeological remains pointing to its rich cultural heritage, including the famous temples carved out of rocks. 19. Govt to set up Central University for differently abled Central Government will set up a Central university for Divyangs in Uttar Pradesh. This was stated by HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar while addressing the convocation function of Shakuntala Mishra national rehabilitation university in Lucknow. 20. Singh inaugurates two-day National Conference on Agriculture for Kharif Campaign- 2017 The National Conference on Agriculture for Kharif Campaign – 2017 is being organised on 25th and 26th April, 2017 at New Delhi. The Conference was inaugurated by Radha Mohan Singh, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and also addressed by Parshottam Rupala and Sudarshan Bhagat, Ministers of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.