Daily Current Affairs Updates: 04 April 2014

1) ISRO successfully launched navigation satellite IRNSS-1B: Indian Space Research Organization on Friday successfully launched IRNSS-1B, the second navigation satellite among the seven satellites that will eventually constitute the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS). PSLV-C24 carrying IRNSS-1B blasted off from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh at 5.14 pm. Nineteen minutes after liftoff, PSLV-C24 injected the IRNSS-1B into a preliminary orbit. It was the 25th success in a row for the PSLV, after it majestically lifted off from the first launch pad at Sriharikota at 5.14 p.m. After 19 minutes of flight, IRNSS-1B was put into a perfect orbit. K. Radhakrishnan, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), said two more IRNSS satellites would be put into orbit before 2014-end and three more before mid-2015.

2) World T20: Kohli, Ashwin star as India hammer South Africa to enter final: Virat Kohli showed why he is counted among the best contemporary batsmen as he slammed an unbeaten 72 to guide India to a six-wicket win over South Africa in the World Twenty20 semifinals on Friday. Kohli smashed five fours and two sixes during his 44-ball knock as India scored 176-4 in 19.1 overs in reply to South Africa's 172-4 to set up the title clash with sub-continental rival Sri Lanka.

3) Tagore honoured in House of Commons: India, Bangladesh and the United Kingdom joined hands on Thursday to honour Rabindranath Tagore, one of the greatest poets of the Commonwealth, at the House of Commons. Speaking at a landmark event in a packed committee room of the Palace of Westminster — as the Houses of Parliament in Britain are referred to — India’s High Commissioner to the U.K., Ranjan Mathai, said: “Tagore was one of the most celebrated sons of India, a towering figure, who wrote our national anthem.

4) Goa demolishes Karnataka, clinches South Zone Mushtaq Ali Trophy:Goa won the Syed Mushtaq Ali South Zone T20 tournament for the first time when it demolished last year’s winner Karnataka by 108 runs for its fourth win in the league.

5) Kandla port handles the most iron ores among all ports in the country for the 2013-14 period: The port retains its numero uno position by tackling 87.01 million tonnes. Its followed in the list by ports of Paradip (68 million), JNPT (62.35 million) and Mumbai (59.19 million) as per the report of Indian Ports Association.   

6) Doha Bank to open 1st branch next month: The second largest Qatari lender Doha Bank will be opening its first branch in India in Mumbai next month and has set a target of $5-billion balance-sheet by the third year of operations. The Qatari lender is the third Arab lender to have operations in the country after Bank of Bahrain & Kuwait and Abu Dhabi Bank. 

7) SBI launched twitter handle: After launching accounts on Facebook and Youtube, the country’s largest lender SBI on Friday took one more step on the social media front by launching a twitter handle. Mid-sized private sector lender Kotak Mahindra Bank had last month launched twitter-linked current accounts. The Twitter handle for  SBI is “https://twitter.com/TheOfficialSBI”.

8) Malta gets new female president: Malta has sworn in the country's youngest-ever president whose aim is to give a voice to the disadvantaged. The 55-year-old Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca previously served as social policy minister. She takes over from George Abela, who was appointed in 2009. Breaking from tradition, the Mass that preceded Coleiro Preca's swearing-in ceremony Friday was held in a home for disabled people, a symbolic gesture by a president whose declared aim is to help the needy. Maltan presidents are just figureheads with no executive powers. They serve for five years and can't be re-appointed.

9) International Mine Awareness Day observed on April 4: In 2005, the United Nations declared that on April 4 each year, member states would observe International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. For 2014, the UN chose to highlight the role of women in mine action.

10) Government appoints R Gandhi as deputy governor of RBI for 3 years: R. Gandhi, an executive director at the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has been named as deputy governor, succeeding Anand Sinha, whose term ended in January. Gandhi has been appointed for a period of three years, the central bank said in a statement on Thursday. Gandhi’s name was approved by the appointments committee of the cabinet led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

11) EU launches Sentinel-1a satellite as part of the Copernicus project:  European Union has launched the first satellite of its multibillion-euro Copernicus Earth observation project that will supply valuable images in the event of natural disasters or even a plane crash.