Current Affairs Quiz - March, 2019

Notes:
IIT Roorkee has signed a pact with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to set up an ISRO-IITR Space Technology Cell (STC). The ISRO – IITR Cell shall pursue advanced research in the areas of relevance to the future technological and programmatic needs of the Indian Space Programme and shall devote its resources including human resources to this effect. The activities of STC shall be directed to maximise the use of the research potential, infrastructure, expertise and experience that already exist in ISRO and IIT Roorkee. Its research facility will consist of faculty members, visiting scientists and experts, research personnel, technical, administrative and support staff. IIT Roorkee will be responsible for overall management of STC by providing required infrastructure, administrative and other support.

Notes:
Bengaluru FC won the 5th edition of the Indian Super League (ISL-2019) by defeating FC Goa 1-0 in the final at the Mumbai Football arena on 17th March 2019. It’s their first-ever ISL title. The two teams were locked 0-0 after 90 minutes. Even the first extra time saw no goals but Bengaluru got better of a 10-men Goan team 1-0, 4 minutes from the end of the second extra half. In it, Bengaluru FC defender Rahul Bheke became the match winner for the team in the dying minutes of the final.

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Recently, Italian Premier Premier Giuseppe Conte has pledged to make Italy the first Group of Seven nation to join China’s ambitious Belt and Road initiative, despite objections from the United States and concerns within his governing coalition. While, on 20th March 2019, India signalled that it will boycott China’s second Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for a second time. It stated that no country can participate in an initiative that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity. India boycotted the first BRF in 2017 after protesting to Beijing over the controversial China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which is being laid through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) overriding New Delhi’s sovereignty concerns. China has already deepened its commitment to expand the USD 60 billion CPEC, which aims to connect China’s Xinjiang province with Pakistan’s Gwadar port with a host of road, rail, gas and oil pipelines.

Notes:
The World Water Day (WWD) is observed every year on 22nd March to tackle the global water crisis in households, schools, workplaces and farms. This day is also celebrated as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. an opportunity to learn more about water related issues, be inspired to tell others and take action to make a difference. Water is an essential building block of life. It is more than just essential to quench thirst or protect health; water is vital for creating jobs and supporting economic, social, and human development. The 2019 theme ‘Leaving no one behind’ is the central promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The aim of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) is to ensure availability and sustainable management of water for all by 2030. By definition, this means leaving no one behind.

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In its latest Global Economic Outlook (GEO), Fitch Ratings has recently cut India’s economic growth forecast for the financial year FY20 starting April 1, to 6.8% from its previous estimate of 7%, on weaker than expected momentum in the economy. According to Fitch, the RBI has adopted a more dovish monetary policy stance and cut interest rates by 0.25 percentage at its February 2019 meeting, a move supported by steadily decelerating headline inflation. Fitch Ratings cut India’s FY19 GDP growth forecast to 7.2% from 7.8% on December 6. The rating agency has also cut growth forecasts for FY20 and FY21 to 7% from 7.3% and 7.1% from 7.3%, respectively.

Notes:
Indian technology company Infosys has signed a three-year partnership agreement with Roland-Garros to provide technology solution for tennis tournament The French Open, also called Roland-Garros. The 3-year deal, running from 2019 to 2021, is aimed at enriching the game by providing fans, players and coaches with a new experience leveraging Infosys’ expertise in digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data and analytics, mobility, virtual and augmented reality. As part of the partnership, Infosys and Roland-Garros will work on several new digitally-enabled experiences. These include a re-imagined fan experience powered by data and analytics, which will enable fans to follow live scores, “feel the pulse” of live matches, delve deeper into match analytics and understand what ultimately influenced the outcome of the match. The tool will be available on the official Roland-Garros website during the tournament.

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The first-ever high-level dialogue on Indo-Pacific Cooperation (HLD-IPC) was held in Jakarta, Indonesia with theme was ‘Towards a Peaceful, Prosperous, and Inclusive Region’. It was organized by Government of Indonesia and saw participation of all 18 EAS member states including India. The Dialogue reflected India’s view that has outlined by PM Modi in 2018 Shangrila Dialogue — inclusive and transparent & rules based indo-Pacific. The delegates participated in the thematic debate under three themes: sustainable development goals, maritime cooperation, and infrastructure and connectivity. The purpose of the dialogue was to urge all participating governments to talk openly about their plans for increasing cooperation and for building trust in Pacific Ocean and Indian Ocean region.

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Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has recently released the National Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct (NGRBC). These guidelines urge businesses to actualize the principles in letter and spirit. For this purpose, the National Voluntary Guidelines on Social, Environmental and Economic Responsibilities of Business, 2011 (NVGS) have also been revised. According to the guidelines, businesses should conduct and govern themselves with integrity in a manner that is ethical, transparent and accountable. Businesses should provide goods and services in a manner that is sustainable and safe. It should also respect and promote the well-being of all employees, including those in their value chains.

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In Mumbai, ESPNcricinfo has partnered with IIT Madras to launch ‘Superstats’, a next level artificial intelligence tool that can analyse cricket statistics through machine learning. The tool will forecast if and how a player’s or a team’s performance can turn around a game, on real time. Superstats will analyse the game of cricket on a combination of stats metrics- Luck index, Forecaster and Smart Stats using data science for the first time to give a context to every event in a game and also venture into new territories such as luck and forecasting. According to IIT researchers, the algorithms process data to quantify the impact of luck and analyse the real value of a player’s performance in the game of cricket on real time. Apart from forecasting, it also reveals trends and patterns during a game as the actual match data is fed on real time. For this, Superstats uses the vast ball-by-ball database of ESPNcricinfo, which has more than a decade of detailed data, and scientific methods, processes and complex algorithms based machine learning. This work was led by Raghunathan Rengaswamy and Mahesh Panchagnula of IIT-Madras along with the ESPN team.

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On 25th March, US President Donald Trump has officially recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights. With this, Israel has got an absolute right to self-defence. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war, and subsequently annexed it in 1981. But, Israel’s sovereignty over the territory is not recognized by the international community. Mr Trump’s move reversed more than a half-century of the US policy over the issue. Meanwhile, Russia said, it feared a new wave of tensions in the West Asia following the decision by Washington to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights, which are claimed by Syria. The Syrian government has criticized the move calling it a blatant attack on its sovereignty. The Golan Heights is a rocky plateau in south-western Syria. It is located about 60km south-west of the Syrian capital ‘Damascus’, and covers about 1,200 sq km. The area is also a key source of water for an arid region. Rainwater from the Golan’s catchment feeds into the Jordan River. The area provides a third of Israel’s water supply. The land is fertile, and the volcanic soil is used to cultivate vineyards and orchards and raise cattle. The Golan is also home to Israel’s only ski resort.