CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS 22nd March 2022

 

 

CURRENT AFFAIRS SNIPPETS

22nd March 2022

 

International News

Uganda should end torture of detained citizens: Human Rights Watch

uman Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday said Ugandan government should end torture of citizens detained at detention centres. In its 62-page extensive report, HRW said the detainees, mainly government critics and opposition supporters were beaten, raped, electrocuted or injected with unknown substances. Report documented forced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and unlawful detention from 2018-2021.

 

Will never impose sanctions against Russia: Serbian minister

Serbian Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin on Tuesday said government will never impose sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. "Serbia will never be part of the anti-Russian hysteria in which property of Russian citizens and property of Russian Federation is stolen..." added Vulin. Serbia is the only European nation that has refused to join international sanctions against Russia.

 

Serdar Berdymukhamedov elected as President of Turkmenistan 

Serdar Berdimuhamedow has been sworn in as the President of Turkmenistan. Berdimuhamedow succeeds his father and former president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who became president in 2006 and served till 2022.  It must be noted that the presidential elections in Turkmenistan are held every seven years. Serdar Berdymukhamedov, secured 72.97 per cent of the votes election to lead the gas-rich country.

 

NATIONAL

 

Tamil Nadu is committed to banning online gambling: Law Minister

short by Nakul Ahuja / 10:43 pm on 22 Mar 2022,Tuesday

Tamil Nadu Law Minister S. Regupathy on Tuesday said that the state is committed to banning online gambling, adding that efforts are on to invoke the existing laws to achieve the purpose. He further said that the previous AIADMK government had promoted an ordinance to ban online gambling "in a hurry", leading to the Madras High Court quashing it.

West Bengal celebrated ‘Dol Utsav’ or ‘Dol Jatra’

West Bengal celebrated the ‘Dol Utsav’ or ‘Dol Jatra’, the festival of colours, marking the onset of the spring season. The festival is dedicated to Lord Krishna and Radha and celebrated on full moon day.  It also marks the last festival of the year as per the Bengali calendar. In the Eastern region of India, the festival of spring is celebrated as Dol Jatra, Dol Purnima, Dol Utsav, and Basanta Utsav.  The majestic festival is celebrated by throwing ‘gulaal’ or ‘aabir’ on others and by singing and dancing in cultural programs.

N Biren Singh takes oath as Chief Minister of Manipur for 2nd term 

Senior BJP leader N Biren Singh took the oath as Chief Minister of Manipur for a second consecutive five-year term on March 21, 2022. The ruling BJP party contested all 60 seats in the Manipur Assembly election in 2022 and won 32 seats.  Nongthombam (N) Biren Singh started his career as a footballer, then turned to journalism, before joining politics.  In the recently held Assembly polls, the BJP won an absolute majority by winning 32 seats in the 60-member House.  Moreover, the Janata Dal (United), the NPF, the newly formed Kuki People’s Alliance (KPA) and two Independent MLAs have extended their unconditional support to the saffron party. The JD(U) won six seats, NPF won five and the KPA won two seats.

Indian Economist Jayati Ghosh named as member of UN’s Advisory Board

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres has announced the appointment of Indian development economist Jayati Ghosh as a member of the UN’s newly established Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism.  The 12-member high-level advisory board on effective multilateralism will be co-chaired by former Liberian president and Nobel laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former Swedish prime minister Stefan Lofven.  Jayati Ghosh is a Professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She was previously a professor of economics and chairperson of the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University. She is also a member of the UN’s high-level Advisory Board on Economic and Social Affairs.

Banking , Business and Economy

HDFC Bank to launch “SmartHub Vyapar programme” & ‘AutoFirst’ app 

HDFC Bank has announced to launch the “SmartHub Vyapar programme” & ‘AutoFirst’ app the following two initiatives/application to give a digital push to small business loans.  The financial institution has onboarded over 2.7 million retailers and is buying 100 thousand retailers each month. HDFC Bank has plans to onboard 20 million retailers in three years. More than half of the newly onboarded retailers solely function by means of the app platform.  ‘AutoFirst’ application: The financial institution now clocks not less than ₹1,000 crores in service provider loans each month and is wanting to triple the run fee. HDFC Bank can even launch a utility ‘AutoFirst’ that may provide totally automated auto loans.  SmartHub Vyapar programme: The SmartHub Vyapar programme for retailers will probably be launched quickly. It is an app that bundles all cost platforms – playing cards, UPI, QR code, faucet pay and SMS-based funds.

Sports News

Indian Super League: Hyderabad FC wins maiden trophy

Hyderabad FC has clinched their maiden Indian Super League title after defeating Kerala Blasters in the penalty shoot-out in the summit clash. Goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani made three stunning saves.  Hyderabad beat Kerala 3-1 in the shoot-out after the match ended 1-1 in the regulation and extra time. For Hyderabad, Joao Victor, Khassa Camara and Halicharan Narzary scored while only Ayush Adhikari found the target in the shoot-out as Kerala suffered heartbreak for the third time in the finals.

BNP Paribas Open Tournament 2022

The 2022 BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament, also known as the 2022 Indian Wells Masters, was held from March 07 to 20, 2022 at Indian Wells, California, US.  The BNP Paribas Open is the largest two-week combined event outside of the four Grand Slams and the most-attended WTA 1000 and ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tennis tournament in the world.

Here is the list of winners given below:

Category	Winner
Women’s singles	Iga Świątek (Poland)
Men’s Singles	Taylor Fritz (United States)
Women’s Doubles	Xu Yifan / Yang Zhaoxuan
Men’s Doubles	John Isner / Jack Sock

 

Books and Authors News

Autobiography of former cricketer G.R. Viswanath titled “Wrist Assured: An Autobiography”

Former Indian cricket captain Gundappa Ranganatha Vishwanath has penned his autobiography titled “Wrist Assured: An Autobiography”, co-authored by senior journalist R Kaushik.  The book traces the cricketing journey of Gundappa Vishwanath who played Test Cricket for India between 1969 and 1986, making 91 appearances and scoring more than 6000 runs.  Former Indian cricketers Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar released the book at the ceremony held on the first day of the 2nd day/night Test between India and Sri Lanka in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Important Days

22nd March celebrates globally as World Water Day

World Water Day is celebrated globally on 22nd March every year. The day aims to highlight the importance of freshwater. It is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.  This 2022, the focus is groundwater, an invisible resource with an impact visible everywhere. Relevant issues include water scarcity, water pollution, inadequate water supply, lack of sanitation, and the impacts of climate change that are looked upon on this day.  The World Water Day theme 2022 is “Groundwater, Making the Invisible Visible”. Groundwater is a crucial resource that provides almost half of all drinkable water across the world.  The idea for this international day goes back to 1992, the year in which the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro took place.  That same year, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution by which 22 March of each year was declared World Day for Water, to be observed starting in 1993.

World Down Syndrome Day 2022: "Inclusion Means"

World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) is observed every year on 21 March. It is a global campaign that is observed annually to spread awareness about Down Syndrome. The Day is commemorated as a global initiative to increase awareness about hereditary disorders.  An individual with Down Syndrome has an extra chromosome. The theme of World Down Syndrome Day this year is “Inclusion Means”. It calls for making efforts to include people with down syndrome in all matters of life and not discriminate against them.  The first World Down Syndrome Day was observed in 2006. Then the Brazilian Federation of Associations of Down Syndrome worked with Down Syndrome International and its members to launch an extensive campaign to generate international support. In November 2011, the General Assembly adopted a resolution by consensus to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day every year. The next month it declared March 21 as World Down Syndrome Day.

World Poetry Day observed globally on 21st March

On 21st March, World Poetry Day is celebrated every year to recognise the unique ability of poetry to capture the creative spirit of the human mind. World Poetry Day celebrates one of humanity’s most treasured forms of cultural and linguistic expression and identity.  The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted this day during UNESCO’s 30th session in Paris in 1999 with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard.  Some countries also celebrate World Poetry Day on October 15 to mark the birthday of Virgil, a Roman poet who is famous for his epic Aeneid.

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