The Daily Brief – 20th April 2019

President of Israel Reuven Rivlin has formally handed Benjamin Netanyahu his letter of appointment to start building a coalition government. For the fifth time, Benjamin Netanyahu is going ahead with the task of putting together the government of Israel. Netanyahu will have 28 days to form a government, with the possibility of a two-week extension at the discretion of the president.

Nepal’s first satellite NepaliSat-1 was launched into space from the Virginia-based station of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in US. NepaliSat-1 will collect information about the country’s topography and Earth’s magnetic field. The satellite was developed by two Nepalis Abhas Maskey and Hariram Shrestha at Japan’s Kyushu Institute of Technology.

The Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on April 18, 2019 released the World Press Freedom Index 2019 in which India’s rank dropped down to 140th from 138th in 2018. The year 2018 witnessed a surge in attacks against journalists by supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the run-up to Indian General Elections 2019. At least six Indian journalists were killed on duty in 2018. The index has been topped by Norway again for the third year, followed by Finland and Sweden at second and third positions, respectively. Published annually by Reporters Without Borders since 2002, the World Press Freedom Index measures the level of media freedom in 180 countries.

Mali’s Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga resigned along with his entire government on April 18, 2019 following criticism over their handling of an upsurge of violence in the centre of the country and a massacre on March 23 that left 160 people dead. The lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties had submitted a motion of no confidence against the government on April 17, blaming Maiga and his administration for failing to clamp down on the unrest.

The Indian Navy will participate in International Fleet Review (IFR) that is scheduled to take place on April 21, 2019 in Qingdao, China as part of 70th Anniversary celebrations of People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy). The International Fleet Review is a parade of naval ships, aircraft and submarines. The IFR is organised by nations to promote goodwill, strengthen cooperation and showcase their organisational capabilities. India conducted the IFR in February 2016.

Gagandeep Kang has become first Indian woman scientists selected for Fellow of Royal Society (FRS), London in 358 years of its history. In her achievements, Kang has built national rotavirus and typhoid surveillance networks, established laboratories to support vaccine trials and conducted phase 1-3 clinical trials of vaccines. Apart from Dr Gagandeep Kang, Mumbai-born Padma Bhushan awardee Dr Yusuf Hamied has also elected as Honorary Fellow.

A book containing English translation of the 100-year-old Punjabi poem about Jallianwala Bagh massacre, ‘Khooni Vaisakhi’ released in UAE. The poem was translated by India’s Ambassador to the UAE Navdeep Singh Suri whose grandfather, revolutionary poet and novelist Nanak Singh wrote it after witnessing first-hand the events of massacre on April 13, 1919. The book was also released in New Delhi on April 13, 2019, marking 100 years since the Jallianwala Bagh massacre that took place in Amritsar.