Top Best Current Affairs 8 April 2020

Trade body Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA) reported that India's edible oil imports have declined 32.44% to 9,41,219 tonnes in March 2020. The reason for the decline is due to government restrictions on the purchase of refined palm oil from the overseas market. India had imported 13,93,255 tonnes in March 2019.

The Supreme Court of India has extended the tenure of Justice Shiva Kirti Singh, as the incumbent Chairman of the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT). The bench which took the decision to extend the tenure comprised of Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde along with Justices Deepak Gupta and Sanjay Kishan Kaul. The supreme court bench has also directed the union government to expedite the process of appointment for TDSAT members.

Former Libya Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril who was the former head of the Libyan rebel government that ousted the long term ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, passed away due to COVID-19. Before joining the revolution in 2011, Jibril served the Gaddafi government as an economic advisor in its final years and later led the rebel National Transitional Council, the interim government that toppled and killed Muammar Gaddafi.

Veteran Malayalam Music composer, MK Arjunan who was popularly known as Arjunan master in the industry for his evergreen melodies in Malayalam cinema, passed away. He had a long career, spanning over five decades, composing more than 600 songs. Some of his hit songs are a staple of music reality shows even today.

Punjab National Bank Housing Finance has signed a pact with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to raise 75 million dollars. The Citibank will be co-financing 25 million dollars in order to finance the mortgage loans in the affordable housing segment. The tie-up also states first debt funding ever done by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in the housing finance sector in India.

The Ministry of Commerce has designed an online platform for the issuance of a key document required for exports to those countries with which India has trade agreements. The move aims to facilitate shipments during the COVID-19 crisis.

An online delivery platform, Dunzo has tied up with packaged foods company Britannia Industries to deliver range of products to its customers. Britannia Essentials store have been launched by Britannia Industries, that will be available to Dunzo app users.

The American space agency NASA has announced that it is working on the Artemis program. NASA aims to land humans on the moon by 2024 through this program. NASA also submitted a report to the National Space Council on 2 April. The report focused on setting up the Artemis Base Camp at the South Pole of the moon.