Current Affairs 9th April 2019

Current Affairs 9th April 2019 - Important Points

• US urges halt to military operations in -Libya
• US Homeland Security Secretary resigned on - 7th April 2019
• Union of Lakshmi Vilas Bank with Indiabulls Housing sanctioned on - 5th April 2019
• Indian Army gets first batch of Dhanush artillery guns on - 8th April 2019
• Peacekeeping CRPF contingent from Libya evacuated by - India
• President’s Certificate of Honour and Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman Awards Conferred by - Vice President Venkaiah Naidu

Current Affairs 9th April 2019 - Details

US urges halt to military operations in -Libya

The USA on April 7th, 2019 called for an instant halt to military operations in Libya as the Libyan National Army led by Khalifa Haftar advanced on the nation’s capital, Tripoli. Talking on the situation, United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo informed that the US was deeply worried about the recent fighting near Tripoli and counselled talks to finish the fighting.
Important Highlights

• General Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army forces have been executing a multi-pronged attack from the south and west of Tripoli since April 4th. 
• On April 7th, Libyan National Army executed its 1st air strike, a day after the United Nations backed Government of National Accord hit them with air strikes on April 6th.
• About 11 people were murdered and 23 wounded in clashes in southern Tripoli on April 7th.
• The United Nations had interested for a 2-hour truce so casualties and civilians could be, but the battle continued.
• International powers have started evacuating troops from Libya amidst the worsening security situation.
• While the US Africa Command, responsible for United States military operations and liaison in Africa temporarily repositioned its contingent due to enlarged unrest, India also expatriate its full contingent of 15 CRPF peacekeepers due to the deteriorating situation in Libya.

US Homeland Security Secretary resigned on - 7th April 2019

Kirstjen Nielsen, the United States homeland security secretary, on April 7th, 2019 stepped down from her post, ending a tumultuous tenure in charge of the border security agency that had made her the mark of the president’s criticism.
Nielsen would be temporarily replaced by Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan. Her parting comes almost a year after she was assured to take over the position from John Kelly when he became the president's chief of staff.
Important Highlights

• Nielsen informed that she would stay on as secretary through April 10th in order to assist with an
  orderly transition.
• The unexpectedness was unusual because the Department of Homeland Security presently does not have a deputy secretary, who would normally take the gearshifts.
• Nielsen was freshly under a lot of pressure from President Trump to be extra aggressive in stemming the influx of refugee crossings at the border.
• Trump in fresh weeks had asked Nielsen to block the ports of entry along the border and to restrict
  accepting asylum seekers, which Nielsen had found ineffective and unsuitable.
• She had recurrently noted the restrictions imposed on her department by federal laws, court
  settlements and international obligations.
• She had also vacillated for weeks about whether to ink a memo ordering the routine separation of
  immigrants children from their families so that the parents could be detained, which was appreciated by the President.

Union of Lakshmi Vilas Bank with Indiabulls Housing sanctioned on - 5th April 2019

The Board of private sector lender, Lakshmi Vilas Bank Ltd on April 5th, 2019 sanctioned its union with the mortgage financier, Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd in an all stock pact. According to the ‘Scheme of Amalgamation’ approved by the Lakshmi Vilas Bank Ltd board, for every 100 shares of LVB held, stockholders will get 14 shares of Indiabulls Housing Finance. The union now
anticipates the approval of the RBI.
Highlights of the merged entity

• The merged entity will be termed as ‘Indiabulls Lakshmi Vilas Bank’ and will be among the top 8 private banks in India by size.
• The stockholders of Indiabulls will own 90.5% of the amalgamated entity while those of Lakshmi Vilas Bank will have the balance 9.5%.
• The share of Indiabulls Founder and Chairman Sameer Gehlaut will decrease from 21.5% to 19.5% and to underneath 15% before the merger is effective. Gehlaut is likely to take over as the Vice-Chairman of the amalgamated entity.
• Indiabulls’s Vice-Chairman and MD Gagan Banga and Lakshmi Vilas Bank Ltd’s MD Parthasarathi
  Mukherjee will be Joint MDs.
• Indiabulls’s board established a reorganisation committee led by Independent Director and former
  Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor SS Mundra as a step towards the projected merger.

Indian Army gets first batch of Dhanush artillery guns on - 8th April 2019

The Indian Army on April 8th, 2019 got its 1st batch of Dhanush artillery guns an official function held
at GCF, Jabalpur. The gun, which has a calibre of 155*45mm, is the 1st ever indigenous artillery gun of
this calibre.
The Dhanush gun system is based on Bofors assimilated in the 1980s and whose acquisition was mired
in hullabaloo due to alleged corruption. The gun system is predictable to significantly enhance the
Army's firepower.
Important Highlights

• The Dhanush with a calibre of 155*45mm is classified as “medium artillery”. The medium troops of
  the Indian army’s artillery arm consist of guns of this calibre and of 130 mm calibre.
• Dhanush is a new generation dragged artillery gun with main upgraded features completed the
  present 155/39 cal. FH 77 B02 gun.
• The gun system will be positioned along India’s borders with Pakistan and China.  It can be active in all types of terrains.

Peacekeeping CRPF contingent from Libya evacuated by - India

India has withdrawn its complete contingent of peacekeeping forces comprising 15 CRPF troops from Tripoli after the situation in the war-hit country suddenly worsened.

Libyan Crisis

• Ever since the 2011 revolution which overthrew and killed long-ruling dictator Muammar Gaddafi, Libya is engulfed in a disaster.
• Even though there is a United Nations-backed internationally recognised government led by Fayez al- Sarraj, Libya is governed by rival authorities in the East and in Tripoli, in the West, each supported by various armed groups.
• Libyan National Army is supporting the Tobruk-based parliament which administers the East of Libya and  the United Nations-backed Government of National Accord manages Libya’s western parts from Tripoli.
• A contract inked in 2015 created the Government of National Accord as the legitimate interim Libyan government. It was not exclusively implemented due to differences with the Tobruk-based parliament.
• The current tipping point of the disaster was the attempts by the Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter led Libyan National Army to arrest Tripoli which is the seat of Government of National Accord.
• The Government of National Accord resolute to defend Tripoli struck back against Libyan National
  Army. This appreciation led to the killing of 23 civilians and several others were injured.

President’s Certificate of Honour and Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman Awards Conferred by - Vice President Venkaiah Naidu

Vice President Venkaiah Naidu presented President’s Certificate of Honour and Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman Awards at New Delhi.
Presidential Award of Certificate
The award of the Certificate of Honour was initiated in the year 1958 to honour the scholars of Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian Languages.
It was stretched to cover Pali/Prakrit in the year 1996. Further, the prize was extended to have
languages of Classical Odiya, Classical Kannada, Classical Telugu, Classical Tamil and Classical Malayalam.
The prize is conferred in gratitude of the outstanding contribution of various scholars of eminence over
60 years of age.
Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman Awards
Maharshi Badrayan Vyas Samman distinction is presented on persons in recognition of their
considerable contribution in the field of Sanskrit, Persian, Arabic, Pali, Prakrit, Classical Odiya, Classical
Kannada, Classical Telugu and Classical Malayalam.
The award was announced in the year 2002. The award is presented to designated young scholars in the
age group of 30-45 years.
The Presidential award encompass a certificate of honour, a memento and a 1-time cash prize of Rupees
One lakh.