Today in History
On April 3, 1984, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian citizen to travel in space. He was part of the Soyuz T-11 space expedition to the USSR’s Salyut 7 Space Station.
Vice-Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh is the new Vice-Chief of the Indian Navy.
Vice-Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh assumed charge as the Vice-Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS) after the superannuation of Vice-Admiral S.N. Ghormade on March 31, 2023. Vice-Admiral Singh was commissioned in the Indian Navy in 1986, and, he earlier served as the Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations.)
Reusable Launch Vehicle- Technology Demonstration (RLV-TD)
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully carried out the landing experiment of the Reusable Launch Vehicle- Technology Demonstration (RLV-TD) programme at the Aeronautical Test Range in Chitradurga in Karnataka. The RLV-TD was dropped from an altitude of 4.5 km from the Chinook helicopter of the Indian Air Force. It combines the complexity of both launch vehicles and aircraft.
India Alumni Portal
The Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) launched India Alumni Portal in April 2022 to connect with international students worldwide who have studied in India. It is a unified platform for all foreign scholars to register, interact and maintain their Indian links. ICCR will also launch E-3 of ‘Exit Engagement Evenings’ for foreign students enrolled in Indian Universities to visit places of national importance.
Saudi Arabia and OPEC+ announce cuts in crude oil production
Saudi Arabia and OPEC+ announced further cut in crude oil production, amounting to around 1.6 million barrels per day. The announcement could lift oil prices in the international market by $10 per barrel. The production cut aims to support the stability of the oil market.
Salim Durrani, the Indian cricketer of the 1960s, passed away.
(L) Salim Durrani made his Test debut against Australia in 1960 at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. He played an instrumental role in India defeating England by 2-0 in the historic five-match Test series in 1961-62. He also starred in the Bollywood movie Charitra opposite Parveen Babi in 1973. He was the first Indian cricketer to be awarded the Arjuna Award, the second-highest sports award in India.
Verstappen wins Australian Grand Prix 2023
Max Verstappen of the Red Bull defeated Lewis Hamilton to win the Australian Grand Prix in 2023. It was his first win in Melbourne and Red Bull’s first in Australia since Sebastian Vettel’s win in 2011.
