Current Affairs Today 20th March 2019 | Current Affairs News

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Daily Current Affairs PDF of 20th March 2019

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DAYS

International Day of Happiness

• International Day of Happiness is observed every year on 20 March.
• Since 2013, United Nations has celebrated this day to recognise the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world.
• The UN launched the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 to end poverty, reduce inequality and protect our planet which are the three key aspects that lead to well-being and happiness.

 World Sparrow Day

• World Sparrow Day is celebrated on March 20, 2019.
• This day also celebrate the relationship between people and sparrows, spread love for sparrows, awareness about their importance in our lives etc.
• It is an international initiative by the Nature Forever Society of India in collaboration with the Eco-Sys Action Foundation (France) and numerous other national and international organizations across the world.
• The first World Sparrow Day was celebrated in 2010 in different parts of the world.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: BUSINESS

Tata Communications partners with China Telecom for IoT devices

• Tata Communications announced that it is working with China Telecom Global to launch Internet of Things (IoT) service in the Chinese market
• The partnership will allow companies to deploy and manage IoT devices easily and cost-effectively within China and internationally across multiple industries, including consumer and industrial electronics manufacturing, automotive, transport and logistics
• China Telecom Global and Tata Communications will cooperate to support global IoT opportunities. The Tata Communications MOVE service leverages the company’s relationships with more than 600 mobile network operators worldwide
• Through this partnership, China Telecom Global also provides Tata Communications with connectivity for Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOU

IBBI signs MoU with SEBI for better implementation of IBC

• The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for effective implementation of the new bankruptcy law.
• The IBBI and the SEBI seek effective implementation of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 (Code) and its allied rules and regulations, which have redefined the debt-equity relationship and aims to promote entrepreneurship and debt market.
• They have agreed under the MoU to assist and co-operate with each other for the effective implementation of the Code, subject to limitations imposed by the applicable laws.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: RANKING

Lakshya and Riya into top-100 in BWF badminton rankings

• Young Indian shuttlers Lakshya Sen and Riya Mookerjee broke into the top-100 among  Men’s and Women’s singles players in the latest World Badminton Rankings.
• Making a massive jump of 28 places, Lakshya Sen is placed 76^th. Riya Mookerjee climbed up 19 spots to be placed 94^th.
• In the women’s singles rankings, P V Sindhu and Saina Nehwal are static with Sindhu at sixth and Saina at ninth position.
• Among men, B Sai Praneeth also moved up three places to 19^th. Kidambi Srikanth remains static and is the best placed Indian in the men’s rankings at seventh.
• He is followed by Sameer Verma (14th), H S Prannoy (24th), Subhankar Dey (43rd), Parupalli Kashyap (48th), Ajay Jayram (52nd) and Sourav Verma (53rd).
• Japan’s Kento Momota is leading the men’s chart while Chinese Taipei’s Tai Tzu Ying is topping the women’s singles list.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNATION

Kazakhstan President resigns after nearly 30 years in power

• Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev has announced his resignation after nearly 30 years in power.
• The 78-year old leader had ruled the country since it emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.
• He would remain the chairman of the country’s powerful security council, the leader of the Nur Otan party
• Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the speaker of the upper house of parliament, will take over as the country’s acting president for the remainder of his term in line with the constitution
• Tokayev is a former prime minister and foreign minister who also served as director-general of the U.N. office in Geneva between 2011 and 2013.

Mumbai social worker Gauri Sawant becomes first transgender election ambassador

• The Election Commission of India has appointed transgender social activist Gauri Sawant, as one of the 12 election ambassadors from Maharashtra.
• It’s the first time that a transgender has been appointed as an election ambassador in India
• Following the Supreme Court order, transgenders got the right to vote for the first time in 2014.
• Gauri Sawant’s appointment would help in more people from this category getting registered during the final phase of voters enrollment. It stated that in the next few days, Gauri Sawant would visit every transgender and inspire them about the need for voting.

CURRENT AFFAIRS: AWARDS AND HONORS

Raghu Karnad’s ‘Indian story’ wins US Windham-Campbell Prize

• Journalist and writer Raghu Karnad won the prestigious award for his debut book ‘The Farthest Field: An Indian Story of the Second World War’ in the non-fiction category on a ceremony which was held in London.
• Karnad became the second Indian to win the Windham-Campbell Prize; after Jerry Pinto who won the prize in 2016 for his novel ‘Em And the Big Hoom’.
• The Indian author is one of the eight winners who have been chosen across four categories this year. Each of the eight winners won $165,000 as prize money to support their writing. In terms of the award money, Windham-Campbell Prize is one of the richest literary awards worldwide.
• Apart from Karnad, the other winner in non-fiction category was American writer Rebecca Solnit.
• The Windham-Campbell Prize was established in 2013 by writer Donald Windham to honour his late partner Sandy Campbell. It is now co-presented by the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University.

Karen Uhlenbeck becomes first woman to win Abel Prize for Maths

• An American professor Karen Uhlenbeck has become the first woman to win the Abel Prize for mathematics since it was first established in 2002.
• She has been awarded the 6 million Norwegian kroner ($700,000) prize for her work in the fields of gauge theory and geometric analysis, which have been credited with far-reaching impact in both mathematics and physics.
• She is also a role model and a strong advocate for gender equality in science and mathematics.
• The award was awarded by the Norwegian Academy of Science since 2003 to honour the 19th-century Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel. It is often referred to as the Nobel Prize for mathematics

CURRENT AFFAIRS: MOBILE APP AND PORTAL

Mobile Application ‘Conquer Exam, Be a Warrior.’ developed by IIPHG

• Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar, Gujarat, (IIPHG) joined hands with National Mental Health Program, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Gujarat for developed a mobile application called as ‘Conquer Exam, Be a Warrior’ to reduce the exam pressure for the student.
• This Application to create awareness and help students and parents to analyse and overcome exam pressure.

Xiaomi launches Mi Pay wallet in India with ICICI Bank

• Xiaomi has rolled out its own UPI payment solution app, Mi Pay, for its users in India, enabling them to send money to any UPI address and bank account in the country.
• The company will use the National Payment Corporation of India’s UPI and Bharat Bill payment network for its core functionality. The company has tied up with ICICI Bank for the back-end solution.

• This is a closed payments app, and only Xiaomi users can download it from the Mi Apps store.
• Being a closed app, only Xiaomi users can transfer money between each other, using Mi Pay app

CURRENT AFFAIRS: DEFENCE

33^rd Edition of IND-INDO CORPAT begins at Port Blair

• 33rd edition of the India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol (IND-INDO CORPAT) will be held from 19th March to 4th April 2019.
• During the opening ceremony in Port Blair, various activities such as sporting fixtures, ship visits and professional interactions have been planned.
• The ship and aircraft from both the countries would undertake patrolling on the respective sides of 236 nautical miles long International Maritime Boundary line and also participate in the 2nd Bilateral Maritime Exercise in the Andaman Sea.
• The opening ceremony was held at Port Blair. The closing ceremony will be held at Belawan, Indonesia on 04  April 2019.
• Indonesian Naval Ship KRI Sultan Thaha Syaifuddin and Maritime Patrol Aircraft CN-235, led by Cmde Dafit Santoso, will participate in this exercise.

Indo-Sri Lanka joint Exercise Mitra shakti-VI to be held in Sri Lanka

• Exercise MITRA SHAKTI is conducted annually as part of military diplomacy and interaction between armies of India & Sri Lanka. The joint exercise for the year 2018-19 will be conducted from 26 March to 08 April 2019 in Sri Lanka.
• Troops from 1^stBattalion the BIHAR Regiment of the Indian Army and Gemunu Watch Battalion of Sri Lankan Army would be jointly undertaking the exercise.
• The aim of the exercise is to build and promote close relations between armies of both the countries and to enhance the ability of joint exercise commander to take military contingents of both nations under command

The exercise will involve tactical level operations in an international counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism environment under United Nations mandate

CURRENT AFFAIRS: SPORTS

India secures second position in the medal tally in Asian Youth Athletics Championships

• The third edition of the Asian Youth Athletics Championships 2019 was held at the Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground in Hong Kong from 15 to 17 March.
• It is a biennial, continental athletics competition for Asian athletes aged from 15 to 17 years.
• China topped the medal tally with 31 medals
• India secured second position in the medal table by winning 26 medals including 8 gold, 9 silver and 9 bronze.

List of Gold winners from India

India Loses Hosting Rights for the Junior Asian Championship 2019

• United World Wrestling (UWW) has taken away the hosting rights from India to host junior Asian Championship which was to be held in July 2019.
• India had agreed to host the re-scheduled junior Championship in July after original hosts Lebanon withdrew.
• UWW has shifted the new venue for the junior Asian championship from India to Thailand.
• In the wake of the Pulwama terror attack, India had not issued visas to a three-member shooting contingent from Pakistan for the shooting World Cup in Delhi. UWW has also asked all its affiliated federations to suspend all communication with Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).

Abu Dhabi to host T10 League for next five years

• The magnificent Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi will host the T10 League for the next five years, starting with the 2019 season.
• Abu Dhabi Cricket, in partnership with Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC) and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), has signed a five-year agreement with the organisers of the T10 League.
• The first match of the T10 League 2019 will be held on October 23.
• The T10 format was first introduced to the UAE in 2017

CURRENT AFFAIRS: OBITUARIES

Famed economist, Professor Alan Krueger passed away

• Former White House economist and Princeton University professor Alan Krueger has passed away
• Krueger is most well-known in the field of economics for his research on the effects of minimum wage on employment
• Krueger served as chief economist at the Department of Labor under President Bill Clinton and chair of the Council of Economic Advisers from 2011 to 2013 under former President Barack Obama,

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