Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2019

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The International Day of Happiness (IDH) is observed every year on 20th of March to recognise the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world. The day is a good reminder that our world is changing. If we want to understand how we progress, why we sometimes fail & ultimately improve the quality of all our lives, then the pursuit of happiness may offer an answer. The 2019 theme “Happier Together” focuses on what we have in common, rather than what divides us. It is celebrated by all 193 UN Member States.

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Brazilian physicist and astronomer Marcelo Gleiser (60) has been awarded the prestigious $1.4 million Templeton Prize for year 2019 for his work on blending science and spirituality. He is the first Latin American to win the prestigious prize. Gleiser is theoretical physicist and views that science and religion are not enemies. He has also explored in depth how science and religion both try to respond to questions on the origins of life and the universe. The Templeton Prize honors a living person who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery, or practical works.

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Former India hockey captain Sardar Singh has been elected in the athletes standing committee of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) at its 38th General Assembly in Bangkok . Apart from him, IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta was named in the culture standing committee. Hockey India secretary general Mohd Mustaque Ahmad is in the media standing committee, while Athletics Federation of India (AFI) president Adille Sumariwala and Lalit Bhanot have been elected in the sports for environment and sports standing committees respectively. All the members have been elected for a four-year term from 2019 to 2023. The OCA General Assembly was held in Bangkok on March 2 and 3.

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On the occasion of World Happiness Day (WHD -2019), the United Nations released the 7th annual World Happiness Report, which ranks the world’s 156 countries on “how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be”. In it, India has dropped 7 spots and is ranked 140th in the 2019 UN World Happiness Index. As a result, India featured in the five countries that had the largest drop since 2005-2008 in the index, along with Yemen, Syria, Botswana and Venezuela. Finland has been ranked as the happiest country in the world for the second year in succession. The Nordic nation is followed by Denmark, Norway, Iceland and The Netherlands. The report ranks countries on six key variables that support well-being: Income, freedom to make life choices, Trust, Healthy life expectancy, Social support and Generosity. The report noted that there has been an increase in negative emotions, including worry, sadness and anger. Pakistan is ranked 67th, Bangladesh 125th and China is placed at 93rd, according to the report. People in war-torn South Sudan are the most unhappy with their lives, followed by Central African Republic (155), Afghanistan (154), Tanzania (153) and Rwanda (152).

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In football, India has clinched the SAFF Women’s Championship for the fifth time in a row. In thefinal, they defeated hosts Nepal 3-1 at Biratnagar on 22nd March 2019. In the first half, Dalmia Chhibber of India scored the first goal of the match which was equalled by Nepal’s Sabitra Bhandari at the 33rd minute. In the second half, Grace Dengmei scored the second goal at 63rd minute and Anju Tamang scored third and decisive goal in the 76th minute. This was India’s 23rd straight victory in the championship since its inception in 2010. India has clinched all five editions of SAFF championship.

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Jimmy Carter — the 39th president of the United States — has reached a new milestone and become the longest-living President in U.S. history at the age of 94 years and 172 days. It exceeds by one day the lifespan of former President George H.W. Bush, who died in November 2018 at the age of 94 years and 171 days. Both men were born in 1924: Bush on June 12, Carter on Oct. 1. Carter has remained active in public life during his post-presidency, and in 2002 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in co-founding the Carter Center.

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The World Poetry Day (WPD) is celebrated every year on 21st of March across the world to recognize the unique ability of poetry to capture the creative spirit of the human mind. . The day was adopted in 1999 during UNESCO’s 30th session held in Paris. The observance of the day is also meant to encourage a return to the oral tradition of poetry recitals, to promote the teaching of poetry, to restore a dialogue between poetry and the other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting, and to support small publishers and create an attractive image of poetry in the media, so that the art of poetry will no longer be considered an outdated form of art, but one which enables society as a whole to regain and assert its identity.

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India has moved up two places to rank 76th on a global energy transition index 2019. This annual list, compiled by Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF), has ranked 115 economies on how well they are able to balance energy security and access with environmental sustainability and affordability. Sweden remains on the top on this annual list and is followed by Switzerland and Norway in the top three. Among major economies, the UK is ranked 7th, Singapore 13th, Germany 17th, Japan 18th and the US 27th. Within Asia, Malaysia is ranked highest at 31st, Sri Lanka is 60th, Bangladesh 90th and Nepal 93rd. The report said that India is amongst the countries with high pollution levels and has a relatively high CO2 intensity in its energy system. Despite this, India has made significant strides to improve energy access in recent years, and currently scores well in the area of regulation and political commitment towards energy transition. The report suggested there was a ground for optimism regarding India despite the current outdated energy system not being ready for the transition because an enabling environment is being built to support the future transition.

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The World Meteorological Day (WMD) is observed every year on 23rd of March to mark the establishment of World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on this day in 1950. This year, the organisation is celebrating its 69th anniversary. The 2019 theme ‘The Sun, the Earth and the weather” recognizes the critical role that the Earth’s nearest star plays in what transpires on the planet. The energy that the Sun sends towards the Earth is taken up by all life forms to perform their biological functions. It also regulates global climate, which, in turn, influences local weather conditions. The same energy is also absorbed by the oceans which carry it around the planet, creating further conditions for diverse marine life to exist.

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The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed every year on 21st of March to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination. This day commemorates the lives that have been lost to fight for democracy and equal human rights in South Africa during the Apartheid regime (a regime which embraced racial discrimination). The 2019 theme is “Mitigating and countering rising nationalist populism and extreme supremacist ideologies”. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has also reiterated that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and have the potential to contribute constructively to the development and well-being of their societies.