Current Affairs March 2014 Vice Admiral K. R. Nair takes over as Chief of Materiel[31/03/2014] Vice Admiral K. R. Nair, AVSM, VSM took over as the Chief of Materiel of Indian Navy on 31st March 2014. Vice Admiral K. R. Nair was commissioned on 01 Jan 1977 and is an alumnus of National Defence Academy and National Defence College. The Flag Officer has held various appointments at sea and in “Repair & Training Organisations” including the appointment of Additional and Deputy General Manager at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, Principal Director Weapon and Equipment at IHQ MoD(N). Djokovic beats Nadal to win fourth Miami title[31/03/2014] Novak Djokovic won his fourth career title at the Miami Masters on 30th March 2014, defeat of top seed Rafael Nadal. The trophy comes in addition to titles in 2007, 2011, 2012 and marked the third win in a row in the series in which Djokovic now stands 18 wins and 22 defeats. Hamilton storms to big win in Malaysian Grand Prix[31/03/2014] Lewis Hamilton led from pole position to win the Malaysian Grand Prix on 30th March 2014 ahead of Nico Rosberg in a Mercedes show of strength. Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel was third ahead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso. Serena beats Li Na for Sony Open title[30/03/2014] Serena Williams won a record seventh Key Biscayne title on 29th March 2014 when she overcame a slow start and a set point to beat Li Na 7-5, 6-1 at the Sony Open. Williams surpassed the tournament record of six titles she shared with Andre Agassi. By beating Li, she extended her winning streak against top-10 opponents to 15 matches. Anurag Kumar selected, as the 20th director of IISc[30/03/2014] The council of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.) selected, as its 20th director, Anurag Kumar, who is now the Chairman of the Electrical Sciences Division at the institute. IISc.’s present director, P. Balaram, retires on July 31 after an eight-year tenure. An electrical engineer with a 26-year-old association with the IISc., Prof. Kumar graduated in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur, in 1977 and did his Ph.D. at Cornell University, the U.S., in 1981. Myanmar holds first census in 3 decades[30/03/2014] Myanmar is holding its first census in three decades despite calls to postpone it because of fears it could further stoke ethnic tensions and violence. The government says that members of a long-persecuted Muslim minority cannot list themselves as “Rohingya” despite U.N. assurances. Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist nation of 60 million, emerged from a half-century of military rule in 2011. Andrej Kiska elected Slovak President[30/03/2014] Political newcomer Andrej Kiska has been elected for the post of Slovakia’s President. Mr. Kiska, a successful businessman-turned-philanthropist, won 59.4 percent of the vote in a runoff ballot. Amartya Sen, Raghuram Rajan, Arundhati Roy among 5 Indians in the running for top world thinker title[29/03/2014] Five Indians - of which four are economists - are in the running for the title of the worlds most important thinker 2014 as part of an annual global poll taking place for the past 10 years. The Prospect magazine has been inviting the public to vote on its list of influential thinkers since 2004 when it drew up a list of the top 100 British public intellectuals. In 2005, they extended the search to the rest of the globe and readers voted online. The 2014 list has four Indian economists - Amartya Sen, Kaushik Basu, Partha Dasgupta and Raghuram Rajan. The only other entry from India is writer and Booker prize winner Arundhati Roy. Gavaskar to run IPL 2014[29/03/2014] The Supreme Court on 28th March 2014 appointed the former India skipper, Sunil Gavaskar, as the interim president of the board to discharge the functions of the Indian Premier League 2014 until its final order on the IPL spot-fixing and betting scandal. A Bench of Justices A.K. Patnaik and Ibrahim Kalifulla, however, permitted both Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals to participate in this year’s IPL that commences on April 16. Justice R.M. Lodha is the news Chief Justice of India[29/03/2014] Justice R.M. Lodha, the senior most judge of the Supreme Court, has been selected as the 41st Chief Justice of India to succeed CJI P. Sathasivam, who retires on April 26. Rakhigarhi is the biggest Harappan site found in Hisar district, Haryana[28/03/2014] The discovery of two more mounds in January 2014 at the Harappan site of Rakhigarhi in Hisar district, Haryana, has led to archaeologists establishing it as the biggest Harappan civilisation site. Until now, specialists in the Harappan civilisation had argued that Mohenjo-daro in Pakistan was the largest among the 2,000 Harappan sites known to exist in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The archaeological remains at Mohenjo-daro extend around 300 hectares. Mohenjo-daro, Harappa and Ganweriwala (all in Pakistan) and Rakhigarhi and Dholavira (both in India) are ranked as the first to the fifth biggest Harappan sites. “With the discovery of two additional mounds, the total area of the Rakhigarhi site will be 350 hectares,” asserted Professor Vasant Shinde, Vice-Chancellor/Director, Deccan College Post-Graduate & Research Institute, a deemed-to-be university in Pune. The two mounds are in addition to the seven mounds already discovered at Rakhigarhi, about 160 km from New Delhi. The eighth and ninth mounds, spread over 25 hectares each, are situated to the east and west of the main site. Villagers have destroyed much of these two mounds for cultivation. A team of archaeology teachers and students of the Deccan College discovered them when they surveyed the site in January. Indias external debt at $426 billion in December[28/03/2014] Indias total external debt stock stood at $ 426.0 billion on 31 December 2013, 5.2 per cent higher than that on 31, March, 2013. The external debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio has marginally worsened from 23.3 percent to 21.8 per cent, according to official data released on 28th March 2014. Mathematician Yakov Grigorevich Sinai is 2014 Abel Laureate[27/03/2014] Russian mathematician Yakov Grigorevich Sinai, one of the most influential mathematicians of the 20th Century, has been chosen for the 2014 Abel Prize by the Norwegian Academy of Science Letters. Seventy-eight year-old Sinai, who concurrently holds the positions of a Senior Researcher at the Landau Institute of Theoretical Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, and a mathematics professor at Princeton University, U.S., has been selected for the Award. The Abel Prize recognises contributions of extraordinary depth and influence to the mathematical sciences and has been awarded annually since 2003. It carries a cash award of Norwegian Kronor 6,00,000 (about $1 million). The Abel Prize is the mathematician’s Nobel Prize (both in prestige and value). Bangladesh enters Guinness book[27/03/2014] Creating a new Guinness world record, over two-and-half lakh Bangladeshis on Wednesday performed a chorus of their national anthem at the national parade ground to mark the countrys 43rd Independence Day. The erstwhile East Pakistan witnessed a historic moment after 2,54,681 persons gathered at the venue to chant Amar shonar Bongla, ami tume balobashi… (My golden Bengal, I love you) - penned and tuned by poet Rabindranath Tagore - which inspired the nation during the liberation war against Pakistan in 1971. WHO Certifies India as Polio Free Country[27/03/2014] The World Health Organisation (WHO) on 27th March 2014 presented official certification to India for its ‘Polio Free’ status. India is among other countries in its South East Asian region which have been certified as being free of the wild polio virus. The Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Sh Ghulam Nabi Azad received the official certificate. Shigeru Ban, Japanese architect wins Pritzker[26/03/2014] Shigeru Ban, Japanese architect known for his creative and inexpensive designs for disaster relief shelters, has won the 2014 Pritzker Architecture Prize. The annual award, considered the most prestigious prize in the world of architecture, is given to designers who have significantly contributed to humanity and for excellence in built work. Seven million deaths caused by air pollution in 2012: WHO[26/03/2014] Approximately seven million people died of air pollution around the world in 2012, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has estimated in its new study. The finding, more than doubling the previous estimates, means that one out of every eight deaths occurred due to outdoor or indoor air pollution. With these updated figures, air pollution has become the single biggest environmental health risk across the world. Sebastian Vettel and Missy Franklin walk away with top honours [26/03/2014] Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel and swimmer Missy Franklin won the Laureus World Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year Awards respectively. Jeev Milkha Singh nominated for Asian Tours Player of the Decade award[24/03/2014] Indian golfer Jeev Milkha Singh named as one of five golfers nominated for Asian Tours Player of the Decade award. A two-time Asian Tour Order of Merit champion and a winner of six tournaments, was named alongside Koreas K.J. Choi and Y.E. Yang and the Thai duo of Thongchai Jaidee and Thaworn Wiratchant as the five players nominated for the prestigious award. Russias Upper House approves Crimea annexation[21/03/2014] Russias Upper House of Parliament unanimously approved a treaty on annexing Ukraines Crimea region, clearing the way for President Vladimir Putin to sign it into law. The Federation Council followed the State Duma lower house by voting for the treaty. Anand Mahindra, Lakshmi Mittal among world’s greatest leaders[21/03/2014] Indian business honchos Anand Mahindra and Lakshmi Mittal are among the world’s 50 greatest leaders, according to Fortune magazine. Russia, Crimea sign accession pact[19/03/2014] Russian President Vladimir Putin on 18th March 2014 signed a treaty on Crimea’s accession to Russia after delivering a defiant speech defending his move and blasting the West for pursuing “containment” of Russia and flouting international law. The treaty was also signed by the Crimean leaders who attended a special joint session of the Russian Parliament in the Kremlin. India’s longest mural adorns Tihar Jail[19/03/2014] The ongoing street art festival in the Capital will conclude by giving the country its longest mural - the verses of a poem written by a Tihar Jail inmate painted across the prison’s wall. Spread across 968m the entire length of the front wall of Tihar Jail which is inaugurated by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung. The poem chosen for the mural is called Chardiwari or four walls. The poem written by inmate Seema Ranghuvanshi is featured in Tinka Tinka Tihar , a collection of poems written by four female prisoners in the jail. Chardiwari talks about a person who though confined within the walls of a prison and longing for her loved ones, lives with the hope of meeting them in the future. Russia suspended from G8[19/03/2014] The leaders of the Group of Eight world powers have suspended Russia’s participation in the club amid tensions over Ukraine and Russia’s incursion into Crimea. The other seven members of the group had already suspended preparations for a G-8 summit that Russia is scheduled to host in June in Sochi. Djokovic win Indian Wells title[17/03/2014] Novak Djokovic of Serbia beats Roger Federer of Switzerland to win Indian Wells title. Novak Djokovic came into Indian Wells for the first time in four years without a title. Serena Williams continues to lead WTA tennis rankings[17/03/2014] WTA top 10 as of March 17 (previous ranking in parenthesis): 1. (1) Serena Williams, United States, 12,660 points 2. (2) Li Na, China, 7,185 3. (3) Agnieszka Radwanska, Poland, 6,215 4. (4) Victoria Azarenka, Belarus, 5,441 5. (7) Simona Halep, Romania, 4,775 6. (8) Jelena Jankovic, Serbia, 4,590 7. (5) Maria Sharapova, Russia, 4,271 8. (9) Petra Kvitova, Czech Republic, 4,235 9. (6) Angelique Kerber, Germany, 4,050 10. (10)Sara Errani, Italy, 3,830 Karnataka win Vijay Hazare Trophy[16/03/2014] Karnataka record a four-wicket win over Railways in the Vijay Hazare Trophy . Nico Rosberg takes comfortable victory in Australian Grand Prix[16/03/2014] Nico Rosberg opened the 2014 Formula One season with a comfortable victory in Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne. Justice B N Srikrishna appointed as FPSB chairman[14/03/2014] The Financial Planning Standards Board India (FPSB), the professional standards setting body for financial planners, appointed B N Srikrishna, a retired Supreme Court judge, as its chairman. Worlds first solar-powered toilet set for India launch[14/03/2014] A revolutionary waterless toilet powered by the Sun, developed to help some of the 2.5 billion people lacking safe and sustainable sanitation around the world,is unveiled in India. Designed and built using a$777,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the self-contained, waterless toilet with its innovative technology converts human waste to biochar, a highly porous charcoal.
Posted on: Fri, 28 Nov 2014 16:44:18 +0000
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