Today's Current Affairs 2nd April 2023

INTERNATIONAL

South Korea, US, Japan To Hold Anti-Submarine Drills As North Korea Vows To Expand Arsenal

The navies of South Korea, the US, and Japan are all set to hold two days of anti-submarine exercises starting from Monday in order to counter the evolving nuclear and missile capabilities of North Korea, South Korea’s defence ministry said, as reported by the news agency Reuters.

The drills will take place in international waters off South Korea’s southern Island of Jeju, involving a US carrier strike group led by USS Nimitz, which arrived last week in the southeastern city of Busan. According to Reuters, the drills came after North Korea unveiled new, smaller nuclear warheads last week and vowed to produce more weapons-grade nuclear materials to expand its arsenal.

According to the ministry, The trilateral drills which will take place this week will use a mobile anti-submarine warfare training target to improve the capabilities needed to detect, track and destroy underwater threats coming from North Korea, as reported by Reuters. These countries last held anti-submarine drills in September amid North Korea’s unprecedented number of missile tests.

SPORTS

Daniil Medvedev wins fourth title of year with Miami Open triumph over Jannik Sinner

Daniil Medvedev beat Italy's Jannik Sinner 7-5 6-3 to win the Miami Open on Sunday for his fourth title of the year and 19th overall.

The jubilant fourth seed pumped his fist after pounding an unreturnable serve on match point to seal the win on a hot and humid day at Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida.

The Russian was playing in his fifth consecutive final after triumphs in Doha, Rotterdam and Dubai before finishing runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at Indian Wells two weeks ago.

Medvedev said he was fortunate that Sinner had to come through a physical, three-set battle in the semi-final on Friday night against top seed Alcaraz.

SCIENCE & TEHNOLOGY 

ISRO Successfully Conducts Autonomous Landing Of Its Reusable Launch Vehicle Prototype

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Sunday, April 2, successfully conducted the autonomous landing test or air-drop landing experiment of the space agency's reusable launch vehicle prototype.  The mission, called RLV LEX, was performed in collaboration with the Defence Space Research Organisation (DRDO), and the Indian Air Force (IAF), in the early hours of Sunday at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR), Chitradurga, Karnataka.

The mission marks the first time a winged body has been carried to an altitude of 4.5 kilometres by a helicopter and released for carrying out an autonomous landing on a runway.

ISRO conducted the first experimental mission of its Reusable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) on May 23, 2016, from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. As part of this experimental mission, critical technologies such as autonomous navigation, guidance and control, and the reusable thermal protection system were successfully demonstrated.

Indigenous Anti Tank Guided Missile, Amogha-III tested successfully

Bharat Dynamics (BDL) has successfully conducted a field firing test of its latest 3rd generation man-portable Anti Tank Guided Missile (ATGM), Amogha-III. This indigenous missile has been developed under Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP).

The test which was conducted last weekend fulfilled all mission objectives, and BDL announced this through their official Twitter handle.

Amogha-III ATGM boasts a fire-and-forget capability, requiring no external intervention following launch. Developed by BDL’s Research and Development Division, the missile also features a dual-mode IIR Seeker with a range of 200 to 2500 meters.

Assisted by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Amogha-III showcases a tandem warhead, consisting of two separate explosive charges that are detonated in sequence. The first charge, known as the precursor charge, penetrates the target’s armour, creating a hole for the second charge, the main charge, to detonate inside, maximizing damage inflicted on the target.

OBITURY

Former cricketer Salim Durani passes away at the age of 88

Salim Durani, the debonair India cricketer of the 1960s with a movie star looks, a puckish sense of humour, and a penchant for hitting monstrous sixes on demand, died on Sunday.He was 88. His death was confirmed by sources close to the family. He had been living with his younger brother, Jahangir Durani, in Jamnagar, Gujarat.

The Kabul-born Durani, who packed a punch with his bat and was also a handy left-arm orthodox bowler, played 29 Tests and was instrumental in India defeating England 2-0 in the historic five-match Test series in 1961-62, picking up eight and 10 wickets in the team's victories at Calcutta and Madras.

Durani, known for his fine dressing style and swagger, scored just one century though he had seven fifties in the 50 innings he played for the country, scoring 1,202 runs.

APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh takes charge as Vice Chief of Navy

Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh took charge as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff, After assuming charge, Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh paid homage to the bravehearts at the National War Memorial and reviewed the Guard of Honour at South Block in New Delhi on Sunday.

Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh graduated from the National Defence Academy, Pune, and was commissioned in 1986 in the executive branch of the Indian Navy,

In his career spanning 37 years, he has served on most class of ships of the Indian Navy and has held a range of command, training and staff appointments, including Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (CSNCO), flag officer sea training, flag officer Commanding Western Fleet, Commandant Naval War College, and Controller Personnel Services. Prior to taking over as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff, he was Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations).

He holds MSc and MPhil in Defence and Strategic Studies from Madras University, MA in Defence Studies from Kings College, London, and MA (History), MPhil (Pol) and PhD (Arts) from Mumbai University. In recognition of his distinguished service, the flag officer was awarded the Nao Sena Medal in 2009, and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2020.

 IMPORTANT DAYS

World Autism Awareness Day

Autism is a permanent neurological condition that generally shows its first appearance in the infancy period. Regardless of gender, race, or socioeconomic status, this condition can develop in the early age of life. The exact cause of autism is still unknown, however, some people with this condition have a genetic cause.

World Autism Awareness Day is an internationally recognized day annually on April 2, encouraging Member States of the United Nations to take measures to raise awareness about autistic individuals throughout the world

Every year, World Autism Awareness Day is observed to create awareness among people about a developmental disability of the brain called autism. The day is recognised to provide global opportunities to increase understanding and acceptance of people suffering from autism spectrum disorder (ASD). World Autism Awareness Day , is observed under a specific theme. The theme for the World Autism Awareness Day 2023 is "Transforming the narrative: Contributions at home, at work, in the arts and in policymaking"

SUMMIT'S & MOU's

Inaugural session of the 2nd G-20 Tourism Working Group Meeting held at Siliguri in West Bengal

The Inaugural session of the 2nd Tourism Working Group Meeting under G20 hosted by the Ministry of Tourism was held at Siliguri, West Bengal today morning – April 2, The inaugural session was addressed by Union Minister for Tourism, Culture and DoNER Shri G.Kishan Reddy and Minister of State for Minority Affairs, Shri John Barla. Shri Raju Bista, Member of Parliament, Darjeeling was also present in the session.

In his opening remarks, Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and DoNER Shri G.K Reddy welcomed all the participants to the beautiful town of Siliguri. He opined that Siliguri possesses a rare combination of Diversity, Culture, Tradition, and beauty. Known as The Gateway to the Northeast,

The aim of the National Adventure Tourism strategy is to place India among the top Adventure Tourism Destinations of the World , and the vision is to make India a one trillion dollar tourism economy by 2047: Shri G.Kishan Reddy

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

India-Born Madhur Jaffrey Wins James Beard Foundation's 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award

Madhur Jaffrey, an India-born British-American, was honoured with the James Beard Foundation's 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming the first South Asian to receive the prestigious award since its inception in 1990. The foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award is given to an individual whose lifetime body of work has had a positive and long-lasting impact on the way we eat, cook, and/or think about food in America, according to its official website.

"Jaffrey first captured attention as an actress in the film Shakespeare Wallah, winning the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival in 1965," according to the foundation's press release. An Invitation to Indian Cooking, her first cookbook, was published in 1973 and was inducted into the James Beard Foundation's Cookbook Hall of Fame in 2006. She has since published over 30 award-winning cookbooks, cementing her reputation as the "Godmother of Indian Cooking."

Madhur Jaffrey's Ultimate Curry Bible, Curry Easy, and Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian are among her bestselling books. She has also worked as a food consultant at the now-defunct Dawat, which was regarded as one of New York City's best Indian restaurants. Jaffrey said of her award, "It's a wonderful pinnacle to my career, and I'm overjoyed."

Jaffrey, along with the other winners, will be honoured at the Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on June 5 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago