18th and 19th April 2021 Daily GK Update: Read Daily GK, Current Affairs for Bank Exam

• The 40th Scientific Expedition to Antarctica (40-ISEA) hosted by the Ministry of Earth Sciences successfully returned to Cape Town after completing a journey of about 12,000 nautical miles in 94 days, including stopovers.
• This achievement concludes four successful decades of India’s scientific endeavour in the continent of peace and cooperation.
• The team reached its destination Bharati station on February 27 and Maitri station on March 8 in Antarctica. Bharati and Maitri are India’s permanent research base stations in Antarctica.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

• Minister of Earth Sciences:  Dr Harsh Vardhan.

6. NASA Awards $2.9 billion contract to SpaceX

• The United States space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has picked Elon Musk’s SpaceX for its Artemis programme, to develop the first commercial lander and take the next two US astronauts to the moon.
• The total value of this contract is $2.89 billion. 
• SpaceX will develop a spacecraft ‘SpaceX Starship’ to land next to two US astronauts, including a women astronaut at the lunar south pole region, by 2024.
• NASA also aims to bring the first person of colour to the moon’s surface as part of the Artemis programme.
• Between 1969 and 1972, the US brought 12 astronauts to the moon.

Sports News

7. Max Verstappen Wins Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix 2021

• Max Verstappen (Red Bull – Netherlands) won the Emilia Romagna F1 Grand Prix 2021, in Imola, Italy.
• This win is his first victory of the season. The race was the second round of the 2021 Formula One World Championship.
• The seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-Great Britain) finished second, following a crash and sustaining damage involving Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas. Lando Norris (McLaren – Great Britain) took third place.

8. India Clinches 14 medal at 2021 Senior Asian Wrestling Championship

• The 2021 Senior Asian Wrestling Championships was held from April 13 to 18, 2021 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
• The event was the 34th edition of the Asian Wrestling Championships. India won 14 medals to stand in the third spot on the medal table.
• The medals include 5 Gold, 3 Silver & 6 Bronze Medals. Iran and Kazakhstan topped the medal tally with 17 medals each.

9. India’s Mirabai Chanu creates a new Clean and Jerk world record in Tashkent

• Mirabai Chanu set a new World Record in the women’s 49kg Clean and Jerk with a massive 119 kg lift at Asian Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent. The 26-year-old Indian won the bronze medal at the event.
• The gold medal went to Hou Zhihui of China who created a new world record in snatch. Asian Games, held once every 4yrs, is the 2nd largest multi-sport event after Olympics.

Important Days

10. World Heritage Day observed globally on 18 April

• World Heritage Day observed globally on 18 April every year. The day is observed to raise awareness about the cultural heritage that we see around us.
• This year’s theme “Complex Pasts: Diverse Futures” reflects on the need to acknowledge global calls for greater inclusion and recognition of diversity.
• The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in 1982 announced, 18 April as the World Heritage Day. This was approved by the General Assembly of UNESCO in 1983, with an aim of enhancing awareness about the importance of cultural heritage, monuments and conserving them.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams:

Obituaries News

12. Adobe co-founder and PDF developer Charles Geschke passes away

• American computer scientist Charles Geschke, best known as the co-founder of graphics and publishing software company Adobe Inc, has passed away. Geschke co-founded Adobe company in 1982 with fellow mate John Warnock.
• Geschke, who was widely known as Chuck, also helped in developing the popular Portable Document Format (PDF).

13. Former Footballer Ahmed Hussain Passes Away

• Former India International Football defender, Ahmed Hussain Lala has passed away due to COVID-19. He represented India in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, where India finished fourth. Besides, he was also part of the Indian team that won the gold medal in the 1951 Asian Games.
• Ahmed also took part in the 1958 Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan, in which India finished fourth. In Club Football, Ahmed played for Hyderabad City Police, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting Club. In his career, he had won two Santosh Trophy, three Durand Cups and six Rovers Cups.

14. Veteran Tamil actor and comedian Vivek passes away

• Renowned Tamil actor and comedian Vivek has passed away. He was launched by legendary filmmaker K Balachander in the late 1980s. He went on to become one of the most sought after comedy actors of Tamil cinema in the 1990s and retained a stronghold in the industry.
• The actor was awarded the Padma Shri in 2009 for his excellent work in Tamil cinema. He acted in over 200 movies. He was last seen in Dharala Prabhu, which was the Tamil remake of the Hindi film Vicky Donor.

Miscellaneous News

15. Railways to run ‘Oxygen Express’ trains via green corridors

• Following a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases, the Indian Railways will run ‘Oxygen Express’ trains transporting liquid medical oxygen and oxygen cylinders across the country via green corridors to meet growing demand from states. Green corridors are being created to ensure fast movement of these trains.
• Empty tankers will begin their journey from Kalamboli and Boisar railway stations in and near Mumbai to load liquid medical oxygen from Vizag, Jamshedpur, Rourkela and Bokaro, the national transporter.

Important takeaways for all competitive exams: