GK & Current Affairs Quiz: March 26, 2018

Notes:
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has recently launched the first of its kind initiative titled ‘Videsh Aaya Pradesh ke Dwaar’ in Hyderabad, which is a key centre for Telugu and Urdu media. The purpose of the initiative is to create a pool of media professionals interested in foreign policy and guide them on connecting with the MEA. The initiative involves MEA’s engagement with the regional media based in different cities across India who have carved their own space and have a unique and wide readership profile. The event was attended by around 40 Editors and representatives from the main media organisations based in Hyderabad.

Notes:
Hockey Punjab has won the 8th Hockey India Senior Men National Championship title at the Padma Shri Mohammad Shahid Synthetic Hockey Stadium in Lucknow on March 25, 2018. In the final, they defeated Petroleum Sports Promotion Board by 2-1. In the Bronze medal match, defending champions Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) defeated Air India Sports Promotion Board 5-3 on penalties after the scores were tied at 1-1 after regulation time.

Notes:
The 11th Rashtriya Rifles Biennial Conference is being conducted at Nagrota in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) from 26 to 27 March 18. The event chaired by Chief of the Army Staff has been attended by Army Commander Northern Command, Director General Rashtriya Rifles, Corps Commander 15 and 16 Corps and all General Officers Commanding Counter Insurgency Forces. The Rashtriya Rifles (RR) is a branch of the Indian Army under the authority of the Indian Ministry of Defence. The RR is a counter-insurgency force made up of soldiers deputed from other parts of the Indian Army. The force is currently deployed in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It has assisted the locals from inaccessible and far flung areas of the state by providing assistance in diverse fields and has given an impetus to development, growth, education, women empowerment, skill development and communal harmony through its multifarious enabling civil action programs.

Notes:
The ‘2018 National Conference on Down Syndrome’ was organised by the National Trust under Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in New Delhi on March 25. A book entitled “Twilights Children” based on the lives of person suffering from Down Syndrome was released on the occasion. The conference brought intellectuals from all walks of life on one platform to spur ideas and channelized knowledge on Down Syndrome which was very beneficial to enable a positive change in the people with Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome is a chromosomal condition associated with intellectual and learning disabilities.

Notes:
The first-ever International Exhibition of Graphic Prints ‘Print Biennale India 2018′ has started at the Rabindra Bhavan Galleries of the Lalit Kala Akademi in New Delhi on March 25, 2018. The event, organized by Lalit Kala Akademi, is aimed at discovering new artistic trends in printmaking nationally and internationally. Artists from across the world have sent their works and are showcasing their artwork in this international exhibition.The event comprising a total of 200 original prints are created by Indian and international artists of impeccable competence and is a window view into the giant strides in printmaking that is taking place in India and the world. The exhibition will continue till 22nd of next month.

Notes:
Professor J S Rajput, the former Director of NCERT, has been nominated as the India’s representative to the Executive Board (EXB) of UNESCO. Professor Rajput is an eminent educationist with rich experience in various fields including UNESCO. He has recently completed the project aimed at achieving religious amity through education and his edited book “Education of Muslims in India” was released by the Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi on June 15, 2015.The EXB has a 4-year term of office and 58 seats. It is one of the constitutional organs of UNESCO and is elected by the General Conference. The executive board examines the work for the organization and the corresponding budget estimates. In practice, the executive board is the main organ responsible for all policies and programmes of UNESCO.

Notes:
The South Asian Cinema Foundation (SACF), a London-based organisation, has received the Frederick Pincott Award for 2017 from the Indian High Commissioner, Y K Sinha for promoting Hindi cinema in Britain for the last 18 years. The institution has been active in boosting original research and books on Indian films, also inviting and honouring filmmakers from India, along with documentary film making and producing classic silent films with live music at the British Film Institute (BFI). The SACF has been doing commendable work for nearly two decades to promote Hindi and regional Indian cinema in the UK and as a result has served the cause of dissemination of the Hindi language. SACF Director Lalit Mohan Joshi stated that the institution will continue exploring Hindi cinema as it would launch a new six-week course at the BFI that will look into the history of Indian cinema through literature. The SACF was set up in London in January 2000 by Joshi, along with film archivist P K Nair, film critic Derek Malcolm and social historian-researcher Kusum Pant Joshi.

Notes:
The International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and Transatlantic Slave Trade is observed every year on March 25 to honour and remember those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system. The International Day also aims to raise awareness about the dangers of racism and prejudice today. The 2018 theme is “Remember Slavery: Triumphs and Struggles for Freedom and Equality”, which celebrates the gains of people of African descent from slavery to present. It also acknowledges the challenges that have been overcome in the movement towards freedom and equality in all professions.

Notes:
Martin Vizcarra, a Peruvian engineer and former regional governor, has been sworn-in as the new president of Peru after his predecessor “Pedro Pablo Kuczynski” became the latest of the country’s leaders to resign amid corruption scandals and public repudiation.

Notes:
India Under-16 team has won the 2018 U-17 Jockey Cup International Youth Invitational Football tournament by defeating hosts Hong Kong in the final by 4-2 on March 25, 2018. For India, Bekey Oram netted twice in the first half. The other two goals came through Rohit Danu and Lalrokima in the second session. This was India’s third consecutive victory in as many days. They had earlier defeated Chinese Taipei (4-0) and Singapore (3-1). The tournament was an Under-17 event where India fielded their Under-16 national team. The Indian team have already qualified for the AFC Under-16 Finals from where the top four teams will make it to the FIFA Under-17 World Cup.