Daily Current Affairs Updates: 09 April 2014

1) Shikhar Dhawan named one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year: India's swashbuckling opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan has been named as one of the Five Cricketers of the Year, an honour dating back to 1889, by Wisden for his performance in 2013. The 28-year-old Dhawan was the highest run-scorer during India's triumph in the ICC Champions Trophy, amassing 363 runs in five ODIs at an average of 90.75. He was awarded Man of the Series for his performance that included centuries against South Africa and West Indies. His performance during the tournament in England was acknowledged by Wisden, which also named Australian duo Chris Rogers and Ryan Harris, England batsman Joe Root and England women's captain Charlotte Edwards in the list. Dale Steyn was Wisden's Leading Cricketer in the World for 2013. He was the second South African to be selected for the award after Jacques Kallis in 2007.

2) INS Vikrant, India's first aircraft carrier, sold to ship-breaker for Rs 60 crore: The decommissioned aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy, INS Vikrant, which played an important role in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, has been sold for Rs 60 crore. "The auction process of INS Vikrant was completed last week and a company named IB Commercial Pvt Ltd won the bid," said a defence source. Earlier, the Maharashtra government had expressed its inability to maintain Vikrant, the Indian Navy's first aircraft carrier which was commissioned in 1961. It was decommissioned in January 1997.

3) Sachin Tendulkar adorns cover of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack: Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar, who quit international cricket last year after an illustrious 24-year long career, adorned the covers of the 151st edition of the Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. The 40-year-old cricketer is the first Indian to feature on the cover of the Almanack. He was earlier chosen to feature on the cover of the second edition of the Wisden India Almanack. The yellow page shows Tendulkar walking out of the Wankhede stadium after playing his last innings against the West Indies in November last year. The photograph captured Tendulkar acknowledging the crowd with his bat raised.

4) Ranbir Kapoor is now the brand ambassador for Lenovo smartphones: Chinese tech giant Lenovo has roped in Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor as the brand ambassador for its range of smartphones in India. As part of the association, Ranbir will endorse Lenovo’s range of smartphones and will feature in various television and online commercials for the brand in India. The actor already endorses Lenovo’s PCs and tablets.

5) World Bank projects 5.7% growth for India in 2014-15:  The World Bank on 9 April 2014 projected an economic growth rate of 5.7 per cent in 2014-15 for India on the back of a more competitive exchange rate and many large investments going forward.

6) R. Chandrasekaran named new Nasscom chairman: Software services industry lobby group Nasscom has named US-based Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp.’s R. Chandrasekaran as its new chairman for the 2014-15 financial year. Chandrasekaran, Cognizant India executive vice-chairman and a Cognizant veteran of two decades, will take over from Mindtree’s chief executive and co-founder Krishnakumar Natarajan. Nasscom also named B.V.R. Mohan Reddy as its new vice-chairman, a role that was previously held by Chandrasekaran.

7) Saudi Arabia mulls end to sports ban in girls' state schools: Saudi Arabia is considering ending its controversial ban on sports in girls' state schools, after its consultative council recommended the ban be lifted over vociferous opposition from traditionalists. Following a heated debate on Tuesday, the Shura Council recommended that the longstanding ban, already relaxed in private schools in May last year, be ended altogether, state media reported.

8) Israeli Startup StoreDot Charges Smartphone Battery in Just 30 Seconds: A smartphone battery has been developed that can charge up almost as quickly as you can say 'nanotechnology'. An Israeli start-up has unveiled a battery that can be charged in less than 30 seconds. StoreDot demonstrated their pioneering progress at Microsoft's Think Next symposium in Tel Aviv by fully charging a Samsung S4 smartphone from a dead battery in just 26 seconds. Although still a very long way off from being used commercially, the technology could hold promise for smartphone battery life improvement in the future.

9) Tendulkar named Mumbai Indians icon: Mumbai Indians, winner of the Champions League T20 and IPL-VI, has named Sachin Tendulkar as its icon. “I have been part of the Mumbai Indians team since its inception and am delighted to continue my association. “This season it will be a different experience for me as I look forward to closely interact with the experienced support staff and share my knowledge with the exciting youngsters in the team,” said Tendulkar.