Top 10 Weekly Current Affairs: April 24 to April 30 2023

Pennsylvania Accredited Diwali as Holiday

In a recent meeting, the US State of Pennsylvania declared Hindu Festival Diwali as an official holiday across the state. This shows diversification and acceptance of cultural festivities. The bill was passed after the senate voted unopposedly. This prestigious event of Diwali is annually celebrated to remember the power of good over evil. There are many Pennsylvanians who joyfully observe the day hence it is a great decision taken for them.

World Military Expenditure 2022 Jumps to $2240 Billion

Total spending in the Defence sector in 2022 has shown a major rise of 3.7% resulting in a tense economic situation. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released a report claiming that the expenses increased by 19% over a time span of 10 years. An amount of $2240 billion has been marked as the highest and this is due to the Russia-Ukraine war. The USA is the world’s number 1 spender followed by China and Russia while India got the 4th position in the list.

PM Modi Inaugurates 91 FM Transmitters

On the inauguration of 91 FM Transmitters, PM Modi was present virtually where it was announced that New Radios will be set up across many regions in India. Almost 2 crore population will be benefitted from improved radio connectivity. This will further expand the range of the All India Radio network. Radio is an essential medium as the information reached feasibly related to agriculture, government policies and initiatives, weather predictions, the world’s economy and more. 

Oscars 2024 Schedule Announced

The 96th edition of the Academy Awards or Oscars will be held in 2024 at the same location as this year i.e. Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles. March 10, 2024, is the date decided for the next spectacular show and the submissions for the same will begin on November 15, 2023. Final voting for the function will be done between February 22 to February 27, 2023. In 2023, India witnessed a proud moment at the Oscars when the RRR film song ‘Naatu Naatu’ won the prestigious trophy. 

Operation Kaveri: Around 2000 Indians Liberated from Sudan

Indian Government’s ‘Operation Kaveri’ has been successful in releasing Indians from the conflict zone of the African country Sudan. As per the latest updates, 1700 to 2000 nationals have reached their Indian homeland coming from Port Jeddah. The Indian Air Force and the Indian Army have operated the mission and helped thousands of people so far. Some military combat over a power struggle happened in April which led to air raids and bombings. 

RVNL Company bagged the Navratna CPSE Status

RVNL which is railway cooperation has now been added to the list of Navratna CPSE (Central Public Sector Enterprises) list. The income of this firm is Rs 19,381 crore on an annual basis. Now there are a total of 13 companies that are recognized as Navratna CPSE including Oil India Limited, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, and Bharat Electronics Limited, among others. The Finance Minister of India approved the position of RVNL recently as its shares were bought by Hrti Private Limited and XTX Market LLP.

Filmfare Awards 2023 Big Bash at Mumbai

The 68th Filmfare Awards 2023 was organised on April 27 (Thursday) at Jio World Conventional Centre, Mumbai. The Hyundai show went live on Friday for the audience to watch free of cost on Jio Cinema App. Alia Bhatt and Rajkumar Rao got the Best Actor awards for their roles in movies ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ and ‘Badhaai Do’ respectively. Both these were released in 2022 and were a hit show at the theatres and they are available on Netflix. Brahmastra movie bagged many trophies for various categories. 

Google Doodle Pays Tribute to Alan Rickman

Harry Potter fame Alan Rickman, a Hollywood Actor who is praised globally for his distinctive roles in the film industry. Google celebrates the 36th anniversary of his work life and he was cast in over 40 movies in his lifetime. He passed away in 2016. Movies in which he gave unforgettable performances include Die Hard (1988), Sense & Sensibility (1995), Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) and many series of the magical movie Harry Potter. 

BCCI Picks Up 15 Cricketers Team for ICC WTC 2023

The Board of Control for Cricket in India 2023 has announced the final team of players for the ICC World Test Championship 2023. A team of 15 cricketers has been finalised for the tournament which will be held between June 7 to June 11, 2023. Ajinkya Rahane and KL Rahul have made a comeback after 2 players got severely injured. This year’s final will be in competition with an Australian team of 17 members. While Rohit Sharma will be the captain, KS Bharat will be wicket keeper for the Indian squad.

World Malaria Day Observed on April 25 2023

WHO marks World Malaria Day on April 25 every year. The UN Agency announced the theme for 2023 as “Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate, implement”. Maximum number of death rate spikes in hot and humid areas of the world especially in African countries. This day is remembered to make people aware of this perilous disease and also its prevention and cure. Plasmodium vivax or P. falciparum are the most common forms of malaria. P. malariae and P. ovale are other parasites. 

Also Read: Top 10 Weekly Current Affairs: April 17 to April 23 2023