CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS MARCH 18 2022

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS

MARCH 18, 2022

NATIONAL NEWS

Assam startup names tea blend after Ukrainian Prez to honour his courage

short by Ridham Gambhir / 06:02 pm on 18 Mar 2022,Friday

An Assam-based startup has launched a new brew of a "strong Assam tea" named after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to "honour his valour and courage" amid the Russian invasion. Aromatic Tea's Director Ranjit Baruah, said, "There’s nothing stronger than him at the moment in the world...I was trying to draw an analogy that this tea is as strong as Zelenskyy."

Body of 21-yr-old Indian student killed in Ukraine to reach Bengaluru on Mar 20

short by Ridham Gambhir / 08:05 pm on 18 Mar 2022,Friday

Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai on Friday said the mortal remains of Indian student Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagoudar, who was killed during shelling in Ukraine on March 1, will arrive in Bengaluru on March 20. The 21-year-old student, a resident of Karnataka's Haveri district, was standing in a queue at a supermarket in Kharkiv when he was killed in the shelling.

 

NCRTC unveils coaches of India’s first rapid rail for Delhi-Meerut corridor
The National Capital Regional Transport Corporation (NCRTC) has unveiled the coaches of India’s first rapid rail for the Delhi – Meerut corridor. The Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) train will run on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor and cover a distance of 82 km in just 55 minutes. The new RRTS train is a completely new design of train designed to provide a good travelling experience for passengers.

• The coaches will be equipped with modern features including wide standing space, CCTV cameras, sockets for laptop and mobile charging, dynamic route maps, auto control ambient lighting system and heating ventilation and air conditioning system.
• The RRTS train will be the first in the country to have a business or ‘premium’ coach on a regional corridor. The train will be capable of accommodating 1500 passengers at once. The train has been designed to have a setting resembling the one on an aircraft.

Govt Will Implement Rs 7,500-crore Scheme to Tackle Road Accidents: Gadkari
India does not have a very good record on road accident front and registers the world’s highest deaths due to it at 1.5 lakh every year, the government informed Rajya Sabha.

• Replying to supplementary queries during Question Hour, Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said the government will soon implement a Rs 7,500-crore scheme with the help of the World Bank to address the problem and reduce accident-prone and black spots on national and state highways.
• He sought the support of people in reducing accidents and saving precious lives. Gadkari said it was unfortunate that 65 per cent of those dying every year were in the 18-45 age group.

Samsung to Invest Rs 1,588 Cr to Set Up New Manufacturing Plant in Tamil Nadu
Leading South Korean consumer electronics and smartphone maker Samsung will invest Rs 1,588 crore in India to set up a new compressor manufacturing plant at its existing facility at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.

• The new facility will spread over 22 acres and have a capacity to roll out 8 million compressor units per annum and this will be expanded in the future also, Samsung said in a statement.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Perverse abuse of power: Pope Francis on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

short by Veer Badani / 08:06 pm on 18 Mar 2022,Friday

Pope Francis on Friday condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, calling it a "perverse abuse of power". Russia began its invasion of neighbouring Ukraine on February 24. "Once more humanity is threatened by a perverse abuse of power and partisan interests which condemns defenceless people to suffer every form of brutal violence," he said.

I don't know how to live: Russian oligarch after being sanctioned by EU, UK

short by Ridham Gambhir / 09:51 pm on 18 Mar 2022,Friday

A Russian oligarch revealed that he doesn’t know how to live, days after he was sanctioned by the European Union and the UK. Mikhail Fridman, whose net worth was $14 billion before the war, is now worth around $10 billion. Fridman, a co-founder of the London investment firm LetterOne, added, "I don't understand the logic behind punishing me."

Which countries are seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases?

short by Anmol Sharma / 09:53 pm on 18 Mar 2022,Friday

Several countries have reported a spike in COVID-19 cases in last few days. South Korea reported record more than 6,21,000 infections on Thursday. Italy reported 79,895 coronavirus cases on Thursday. In UK, the number of COVID-19 patients in hospital increased from 8,210 on March 3 to 11,346 on March 17. Germany reported 294,931 new cases in the past 24 hours.

Russian oligarch's superyacht stuck in Norway as no one is selling it fuel

short by Ridham Gambhir / 10:59 pm on 18 Mar 2022,Friday

A superyacht owned by a Russian oligarch is stuck in a Norwegian port because no one is willing to sell it fuel in protest of the Ukraine war. The Ragnar is valued at $85 million and is owned by Vladimir Strzhalkovsky. Meanwhile, the yacht’s captain said that none of the crew is Russian and that such discrimination is "extremely unjust".

Biden, Xi discuss Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2-hour-long video call

short by Shailesh / 11:25 pm on 18 Mar 2022,Friday

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday discussed the Russia-Ukraine conflict for nearly two hours on a video call. Xi told Biden that conflicts and confrontations were in no-one's interests, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement. The US has sought to deter China from providing military or economic assistance for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

COVID-19 pandemic is far from over: WHO

short by Anmol Sharma / 10:59 pm on 18 Mar 2022,Friday

The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that COVID-19 pandemic is far from over. "We are definitely in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic," WHO spokesperson Dr Margaret Harris said. After more than a month of decline, COVID-19 cases have started to increase around the world last week, the WHO said.

Stop spreading threats against Russians on YouTube: Russia tells Google

short by Hiral Goyal / 11:07 pm on 18 Mar 2022,Friday

Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor on Friday urged Google to stop spreading "anti-Russian" content on YouTube. "The actions of YouTube's administration are of a terrorist nature and threaten the life and health of Russian citizens," it said. Earlier this week, Russia blocked Instagram after its parent firm Meta allowed Ukrainian users to post messages such as "Death to the Russian invaders".

 

‘Green Triangle’ named after Mahatma Gandhi inaugurated in Madagascar’s capital
As part of the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to commemorate India’s 75th year of independence, a “Green Triangle” named after Mahatma Gandhi was jointly inaugurated in Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo.

• The ceremony was attended by members of local government, diplomatic corps, heads of international organisations and members of the Indian diaspora, to mark ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations.
• Kumar said Gandhi was the “greatest Pravasi” who returned to India from South Africa, led India’s freedom struggle and changed the lives of Indians forever.

Bangladesh top in South Asia in terms of women on board of listed companies
Bangladesh tops the list in South Asia in terms of women on board of listed companies, says a study conducted by International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE).

• According to the latest figures, there was an increase in the percentage of women who are independent directors on listed companies from five percent in 2020 to six percent, despite the impact of COVID-19, which has disproportionately affected women, said a press release issued by the IFC. A 2020 IFC-DSE study showed at the time around 18 percent of listed company board directors were women, which has remained the same.

Finland named world’s happiest country for fifth straight year
Finland has been named the world’s happiest country for the fifth year running, in an annual UN-sponsored index that again ranked Afghanistan as the unhappiest, followed closely by Lebanon.

• Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania recorded the biggest boosts in wellbeing. The largest falls in the World Happiness table, came in Lebanon, Venezuela and Afghanistan. Lebanon, which is facing economic meltdown, fell to second from last on the index of 146 nations, just below Zimbabwe.
• India is ranked 136th. 135th – Sierra Leone, 137th – Burundi 
• The World Happiness Report, now in its 10th year, is based on people’s own assessment of their happiness, as well as economic and social data.

 

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

I-T dept makes highest tax collection in its history in 2021-22

short by Kiran Khatri / 09:45 am on 18 Mar 2022,Friday

The Income Tax has made the highest tax collection in its history in 2021-22, according to CBDT Chairman JB Mohapatra. The direct tax collection numbers for current financial year stand at ₹13.63 lakh crore as against over ₹9 lakh crore in 2020-21, he said. "The year-on-year net collections today is more by 48.4% over 2020-21," he added.

Moody’s Slashes India’s Growth for 2022 to 9.1% on Lower Capex
Moody’s slashed India’s growth estimate for the current year to 9.1 per cent, from 9.5 per cent earlier, saying high fuel and fertilizer import bill could limit the government’s capital expenditure. In its ‘Global Macro Outlook 2022-23 (March 2022 Update): Economic Growth will suffer as fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine builds’ report, the rating agency said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has significantly altered the global economic backdrop through three main channels — spike in commodities prices, risks to global economy from financial and business disruption and dent in sentiment due to heightened geopolitical risks.

 

 

 

SPORTS

No player has hit a Test ton faster than Shikhar Dhawan on debut

short by Anmol Sharma / 04:53 pm on 18 Mar 2022,Friday

Batter Shikhar Dhawan smashed the fastest hundred on a Test debut off 85 balls against Australia in the Mohali Test that ended on March 18, 2013. Dhawan overtook West Indies' Dwayne Smith, who slammed Test ton on debut off 93 balls against South Africa in 2004. Dhawan is among the 16 Indians who have hit a century on Test debut.

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