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Current Affairs 09th April 2026
Major Straits of the World
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Strait of Malacca – Connects Pacific Ocean with Indian Ocean
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Strait of Gibraltar – Connects Atlantic Ocean with Mediterranean Sea
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Strait of Bosphorus – Connects Black Sea with Sea of Marmara
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Bab-el-Mandeb – Connects Red Sea with Gulf of Aden
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Strait of Hormuz – Connects Persian Gulf with Gulf of Oman
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Strait of Magellan – Connects Atlantic Ocean with Pacific Ocean
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English Channel – Separates Great Britain & France
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Bering Strait – Separates Asia & North America
1. Deep Jariwala appointed as US Governor’s Chair
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Joint Strategic Role: Jariwala will hold a dual appointment at UT’s Tickle College of Engineering and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). This position is designed to bridge the gap between academic research and federal laboratory resources to advance quantum science.
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Focus on AI and Energy Efficiency: His primary research aims to solve the massive power consumption issues of modern AI. He is developing "chips of the future" by using novel materials and architectures—including brain-like (neuromorphic) computing and quantum devices—to make hardware significantly more efficient.
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Academic and Entrepreneurial Background: Moving from the University of Pennsylvania (where he spent nine years), Jariwala brings a mix of high-level research—with over 200 publications and 26,000 citations—and industry experience as the co-founder of Agni Semiconductor, a startup focused on memory devices for extreme environments.
Footnotes: US's President: Donald Trump, Vice President: JD Vance, Capital: Washington
2. Central Bank of India Signs Landmark MoU with EPFO
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National Salary Account Hub: The Central Bank of India will now serve as the primary banker for opening and managing salary accounts for EPFO employees across all its offices in India. This move centralizes their banking, which was previously fragmented across various institutions.
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Enhanced Employee Benefits: Beyond standard banking, the MoU provides EPFO staff with exclusive benefits, including comprehensive insurance coverage, preferential loan rates, and specialized digital banking services tailored to their needs.
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Operational Efficiency: By using a single national public sector bank, the EPFO aims to eliminate delays in salary disbursals and streamline financial reconciliation across its massive nationwide network, ensuring "same-day" salary credits for all staff.
Footnotes: CBI's Executive Director: Praveen Sood, HQ: New Delhi
3. BoB Launches AI-based ‘bob SAMVAD’ Platform
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Multilingual Support (22 Languages): Developed entirely in-house, the platform uses AI-driven speech and language technology to provide real-time, two-way translation across 22 Indian languages. This is designed to eliminate language barriers between customers and branch staff.
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Dual-Mode Interaction: At service counters, customers can either speak or type their queries in their preferred local language. The system instantly translates the input into the staff member’s language (and vice-versa) as text on a screen, with an optional voice-to-speech mode for better accessibility.
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Phased Deployment: The initial rollout covers 250 branches across five linguistically diverse states: Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra. Following this pilot phase, the bank plans a large-scale deployment across its entire national network.
Footnotes: BoB's MD & CEO: Debadatta Chand, HQ: Vadodara, Estd: 1908
4. Ayush Shetty Stuns World No. 7 Li Shi Feng at Badminton Asia Championships
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Defeating a Heavyweight: Ranked world No. 25, Ayush defeated the world No. 7 and reigning Asian Games gold medalist, Li Shi Feng of China, in straight games ($21-13$, $21-16$).
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Dominant Performance: Despite Li starting with early leads in both games, Ayush showcased exceptional composure and aggression. He sealed the match in 51 minutes, highlighted by a critical six-point scoring streak in the second game that broke a $13-13$ tie.
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Advancement in Tournament: This victory propelled the 20-year-old into the Round of 16 (Pre-Quarterfinals), where he is set to face Chi Yu Jen of Chinese Taipei. This win was a significant bright spot for India on a day when other top players like Lakshya Sen and Kidambi Srikanth exited the tournament.
5. Amul becomes first Indian FMCG company to hit Rs 1 trillion turnover
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Historic Growth: For the financial year 2025-26, the Amul brand recorded a total turnover exceeding ₹1 trillion, representing an 11% growth over the previous year's base of ₹90,000 crore. This cements its position as the largest FMCG organization in India.
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Global and Domestic Expansion: The surge was driven by a massive distribution push into smaller Indian towns (populations over 5,000) and an aggressive global strategy. Amul recently expanded its footprint by launching fresh milk in international markets, including the United States and Europe.
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Empowering the Cooperative Model: The milestone is a victory for the "Amul Model" of economic democracy, supported by 3.6 million dairy farmers. The federation manages a daily milk procurement of approximately 31 million liters and a diverse portfolio of over 1,200 product variants.
6. Shri Tejveer Singh assumes Charge as Secretary, Department of Chemicals & Petrochemicals
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Extensive Administrative Background: Prior to this central appointment, he served as the Additional Chief Secretary in the Department of Technical Education and Industrial Training for the Government of Punjab. He has also held critical roles as Principal Secretary and Secretary to the Chief Minister of Punjab.
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Highly Qualified: Singh brings strong academic credentials to the role, holding degrees from the London School of Economics (LSE). His expertise is expected to drive strategic growth in India's chemicals and petrochemicals sectors, which are vital for the "Make in India" and "Atmanirbhar Bharat" initiatives.
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Leadership Transition: He succeeds Smt. Nivedita Shukla Verma, who has moved on to become the Secretary of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG). Singh’s leadership comes at a time when the department is focusing on reducing import dependency and expanding domestic manufacturing capacity.
7. Coforge Promotes Sunil Fernandes To Chief Operating Officer
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Expanded Mandate: Formerly the Chief Delivery Officer, Fernandes will now oversee global delivery along with key organizational functions including administration, facilities, and internal IT services. He continues to report directly to CEO Sudhir Singh.
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Strategic AI Focus: His primary objective as COO is to accelerate the adoption of AI-native practices across Coforge’s engineering and internal operations. This move is part of the company’s broader strategy to lead as an "AI-first" organization and drive faster innovation for clients.
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Veteran Leadership: Fernandes brings over 30 years of industry experience to the role. Before joining Coforge in 2024, he held senior leadership positions at major global IT firms, including Accenture, Infosys, and Cognizant, specializing in large-scale global delivery and strategic transformation.
8. Former Union Minister & Veteran Congress Leader Mohsina Kidwai passed away
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Pioneer in Indian Politics: Kidwai was a trailblazer for women in Indian politics, serving as a member of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. She held the distinction of being one of the few women to serve as the President of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC).
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Key Ministerial Roles: A loyalist to the Nehru-Gandhi family, she served as a Union Minister under Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. She managed several high-profile portfolios, including Health and Family Welfare, Urban Development, Transport, and Rural Development.
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Bridge Between Eras: Throughout her six-decade career, she was seen as a bridge between post-independence grassroots politics and modern governance. She remained an influential figure within the Congress party until her passing, serving on the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and acting as a mentor to multiple generations of leaders.
WHAT HAPPENED TODAY
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1909 – The U.S. Congress passes the Payne–Aldrich Tariff Act
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1917 – World War I: The Battle of Arras was a major British-led offensive on the Western Front
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