The First Public Sector Bank in India to Meet RBI's EMV Mandate is;

Sri Lanka's first satellite Raavana l was launched into space from NASA's Flight Facility on Virginia's east shore. The satellite was designed and developed by two Sri Lankan engineers at the Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan. It will be shuttled to the International Space Station. The "Raavana 1" was launched into space with the assistance of the US rocket "Antares". Raavana 1 weights around 1.05 kg and is 1000 cubic centimetres in size. The minimum lifespan of the satellite is around one and a half years and it is expected to be active for five years. Raavana 1 satellite's camera mission is to capture images of Sri Lanka and its neighbouring countries. The Raavana-l is expected to orbit 400 kilometres away from the earth. The satellite will achieve an active attitude stabilization which ensures that the satellite's attitude is stable under the influence of external talks. The launch of Raavana-l marks Sri Lanka's entry into the global space age.

Scientists have developed an artificial pancreas smartphone app that will help in regulating blood sugar levels in diabetes patients. This app is capable of interfacing wirelessly with glucose monitors, insulin pump devices, and decision-making algorithms. A clinical trial showed that the artificial pancreas system (iAPS) app is safe. The app is effective in regulating glucose levels under challenging conditions and is suitable for use in unconstrained environments.

The short film Finding Beauty in Garbage won the best short documentary award at Asia South East Short Film Festival recently held at Phnom Penh in Cambodia. The short documentary is based on issues surrounding mountains of garbage in Dibrugarh town of Assam. The film has also been selected for a screening at the Short and Sweet Film Festival to be held in Utah, U.S.

The XXXVI Feliks Stamm International Boxing Tournament 2019 was held at Centre of Sport and Recreation in Warsaw, Poland from April 28 to May 5, 2019. The event was organised by the Polish Boxing Association. In this tournament, India won a total 6 medals which includes 2 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze medal.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has officially celebrated the first-ever International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace on 24th April 2019 for the international observance. The day is a reaffirmation of the UN Charter and its principles of resolving disputes among countries through peaceful means. It acknowledges the use of multilateral decision-making and diplomacy in achieving peaceful resolutions to conflicts among nations.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed six States to submit by April 30 action plans for bringing air quality standards within the prescribed norms, failing which they would be liable to pay environment compensation of Rs.1 crore each. A Bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel ordered the Chief Secretaries of Assam, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Nagaland governments to submit their plan within the stipulated time.

The Indian Army has successfully built the longest suspension bridge 'Matiri Bridge' over the Indus River in the Leh-Ladakh region. Built in a record time of 40 days 'Maitri Bridge' is longest Suspension Bridge over Indus River. The 260-feet long suspension bridge was built by the combat engineers belonging to the Sahas aur Yogyata regiment of Indian Army's Fire & Fury Corps.

The Lok Sabha passed the 'DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019' on 8 January 2019. It seeks to provide regulation for the use and application of DNA technology for the purpose of establishing the identity of a certain category of persons. The bill also seeks to establish a 'National DNA Data Bank' and 'Regional DNA Data Banks'.

Public Relations Officer (PRO) in the prime minister's office and senior journalist Jagdish Thakkar passed away in New Delhi. Thakkar, 72, who was unwell for some time, passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.