7th MARCH CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. Mukesh Ambani richest Indian, Jeff Bezos tops Forbes world’s rich list

Mukesh Ambani’s net worth has soared to $40.1 billion, making him the richest Indian for the 11th year in a row, while Amazon founder Jeff Bezos toppled Bill Gates as the world’s wealthiest person, says Forbes.

• According to Forbes’ 2018 ‘World’s Billionaires’ list, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani’s wealth surged a whopping 72.84% to $40.1 billion— highest among the 119 Indian billionaires on the list.

2. India to join multilateral lender EBRD

India has got the go-ahead to join the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), after shareholders of the London-based multilateral lender agreed to the country becoming its 69th member, enabling Indian companies to undertake joint investments in regions in which the EBRD operates.

• The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is an international financial institution founded in 1991.
• Its headquarters is in London, United Kingdom

3. Marshall Islands to be first to issue own sovereign cryptocurrency

Marshall Islands which is located in Pacific Ocean is going to become first country in world to recognize crypto currency as its legal tender and adopt transparent crypto.

• The parliament of island has passed law to create the digital currency called “Sovereign” with symbol SOV.
• The Marshall Islands is partnering with Israeli fintech startup Neema to launch its SOV.

4. Sri Lanka declares state of emergency amid violence

 Sri Lanka declared an island-wide state of emergency to curb growing anti-Muslim violence in the country’s Central Province.

• The emergency will lapse in two weeks unless the parliament votes to extend it. The emergency allows government to deploy the army in case of any violent clashes.

5. Bengaluru’s first 3-D map to harness solar energy

For the first time in the country, researchers deployed an advanced Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) system on a helicopter to draw up a 3D map of Bengaluru city, to assess the potential for harnessing solar energy over each building, and provide civic agencies the data for better planning of all amenities in the state capital.

• The study, carried out by researchers at the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP).

6. Neiphiu Rio to be new Nagaland CM, swearing-in on March 8: source

 Senior NDPP leader Neiphiu Rio was appointed as the new Chief Minister of Nagaland by Governor P.B. Acharya and would be sworn in Kohima on March 8, a Raj Bhavan source said.

• The Governor said he had received Letters of Support in Mr. Rio’s favour from 12 legislators of the BJP, one letter from the JD(U) and another from an Independent MLA, besides the 18 legislatures of the NDPP.

7. MS Dhoni Becomes Brand Ambassador of Gaming Platform

 India's 2011 World Cup-winning skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, has become a brand ambassador of gaming platform Dream11.

• The former India Test skipper, who had led the country to a famous triumph in the inaugural World T20 Championship in 2007, would be the new face of the gaming platform's multi-channel marketing campaigns and brand engagement activities.
• Currently the gaming platform has an user base of 2 crore sports fans playing "fantasy cricket, football, kabaddi and NBA", according to the release.

8. Veteran actress Shammi passes away at the age of 89

Veteran Bollywood and television actress Shammi has passed away.

• The star, who was popular for her comic roles, had appeared in over 200 films that included ‘Coolie No 1’, ‘Hum’, ‘Gopi Kishan’, ‘Hum Saath-Saath Hain’ over her long film career.

6th MARCH CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. Bengaluru’s first helitaxi service takes off

App-based taxi service took on a whole new meaning when Bengaluru’s first helitaxi service took off, ferrying passengers from Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) to Electronics City in 15 minutes.

• The helitaxi, touted to be the first such service in the country.
• The service is being offered by KIA in partnership with Thumby Aviation Pvt Ltd, in an effort to reduce the time taken to travel to the city from the international airport.

2. Threat of new malware looms over cyberspace

After Mirai and Reaper, cybersecurity agencies have detected a new malware called Saposhi, which is capable of taking over electronic devices and turning them into ‘bots’, which can be then used for any purpose, including a Distributed Denial Of Service attack which, with enough firepower, can cripple entire industries.

• “Saposhi is similar in its intensity to Reaper, which was taking over millions of devices at the rate of 10,000 devices per day.

 3. Over Rs. 5600 crore sanctioned under Swadesh Darshan Scheme by Tourism Ministry

A total amount of Rs. 5638.87 crore was sanctioned with release of Rs. 2148.17 crore since 2014-15 till date under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme of Ministry of Tourism.

• Under the Swadesh Darshan scheme, thirteen thematic circuits have been identified, for development namely: North-East India Circuit, Buddhist Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Desert Circuit, Tribal Circuit, Eco Circuit, Wildlife Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Ramayana Circuit and Heritage Circuit.

4. RBI slaps Rs 3 cr penalty on Axis Bank, 2 cr on IOB

The Reserve Bank said it has imposed a penalty of Rs 3 crore on Axis Bank for violation of NPA classification norms, and Rs 2 crore on Indian Overseas Bank for not complying with the KYC regulations.

• The RBI has imposed, a monetary penalty of Rs 3 crore on Axis Bank Limited for non-compliance with the directions issued by RBI on Income Recognition and Asset Classification (IRAC) norms,” it said.
• Regarding the state-owned Indian Overseas Bank, the regulator said in a separate release that a "fraud was detected" in one of the branches of the bank.

5. British Indian man wins bravery award in Barcelona terror attack

• An Indian-origin Birmingham man, Harry Athwal who risked his life to help a fatally injured young boy in the last year's Barcelona terror attack, has been selected for this year's 'Pride of Birmingham' award.

6. ‘The Shape of Water’ Wins Best Picture as Oscars Project Diversity

The 90th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.

• The Shape of Water won a leading four awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Guillermo del Toro.

The Complete List of Winners

• Best Picture: “The Shape of Water”
• Director: Guillermo del Toro, “The Shape of Water”
• Actor: Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”
• Actress: Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
• Supporting Actor: Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
• Supporting Actress: Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”
• Original Screenplay: “Get Out”
• Adapted Screenplay: “Call Me by Your Name”
• Foreign Language Film: “A Fantastic Woman”
• Animated Feature: “Coco”
• Visual Effects: “Blade Runner 2049”
• Film Editing: “Dunkirk”
• Animated Short: “Dear Basketball”
• Live Action Short: “The Silent Child”
• Documentary Short: “Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405”
• Score: “The Shape of Water”
• Song: “Remember Me” from “Coco”
• Production Design: “The Shape of Water”
• Cinematography: “Blade Runner 2049”
• Costume Design: “Phantom Thread”
• Makeup and Hairstyling: “Darkest Hour”
• Documentary Feature: “Icarus”
• Sound Editing: “Dunkirk”

7. Viswanathan Anand wins Rapid event at Tal Memorial

Viswanathan Anand won the rapid event at the 11th Tal Memorial chess in Moscow.

• The World rapid champion finished the event with 6 points while Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (with 5 points) came second.
• The event is a 10-player single round-robin competition where players have 25 minutes to make all of their moves, and receive a 10-second increment from move 1.

8. Bhaker shoots gold, bronze for Ravi Kumar

Young Manu Bhaker clinched a gold medal while Ravi Kumar bagged a bronze in the ISSF World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico.

• Bhaker beat the host country’s Alejandra Zavala, a two-time World Cup Finals winner, with a 10.8 in the last shot of the 24 shot final, to come out on top with a score of 237.5.

5th MARCH CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. After 25 years, Manik Sarkar steps down as Tripura CM

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar tendered his resignation to Governor Tathagata Roy, who asked him to continue in office till the next Chief Minister takes over.

• The BJP-IPFT coalition has swept the polls, winning 43 of the 59 seats for which elections were held.
• The BJP secured 35 seats in the 60-member assembly while its ally IPFT, a tribal based party, has won eight seats.

2. National Safety Day: 4 March

National Safety Day is a Day which is used to make every people get safe from many issues such as Financial Loss, Health problems and also any types of problems in the life of the citizens.

• It is used to celebrate to become more secure from the activities which reflect and change the situation of the people in many ways evil as well as good ways.
• It is celebrated on the 4th March every year in India by the National Safety Council of India.

3. Odisha govt launches ‘Ama Gaon, Ama Vikas’ programme

The Odisha government has launched a programme Ama Gaon, Ama Vikas (Our Village, our development) to reach out to the people in rural areas and involve themselves in the developmental activities.

• Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik flagged off mobile video vans for ‘Ama Gaon Ama Vikas’ programme that will move across the State to highlight various welfare schemes at villages in the state.
• He said this initiative administration will help people in solving their grievances instantly.

4. Conrad Sangma Will be the Next CM of Meghalaya

In Meghalaya, NPP chief Conrad K Sangma met Governor Ganga Prasad and submitted the letter of support from other parties.

• The swearing-in of Conard as the chief minister will take place on March 5.
• In Tripura, the government formation process is expected to be completed by March 10.

5. Hindu woman elected to Pakistan’s senate in historic first

Kirshna Kumari Kolhi from Pakistan’s Sindh province has become the first-ever Hindu Dalit woman Senator in pakistan.

• Kolhi, 39, from Thar is a member of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari-led Pakistan People s Party (PPP).
• She was elected on a minority seat from Sindh.
• Kolhi belongs to a remote village in Nagarparkar district of Thar in Sindh province.

6. Shooter Rizvi wins World Cup gold

Indian shooter Shahzar Rizvi created a new world record on his way to the gold medal in the men's 10m air pistol event at the ISSF World Cup.

• Rizvi registered a world record score of 242.3 points in the final.
• The Indian beat reigning Olympic champion Christian Reitz of Germany, who had to settle for the silver.
• India's Jitu Rai bagged the bronze with 219.

7. Literateur Prafulla Das passes away

Literateur Prafulla Das passed away at his residence at Rajkanika in Kendrapara district. He was 91.

• He was a recipient of the prestigious “Sarala Award” for his achievement in the literary field.
• 'Banhimana', the biography of freedom fighter Malati Chaudhury, brought him the Sarala Award in 2014.

8. Dr Jitendra Singh attended the social media launch of “Namaste Shalom”

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh launched the social media of “Namaste Shalom”, a magazine devoted to India-Israel relations.

• The magazine is edited by former MP Shri Tarun Vijay.
• Israeli Ambassador to India, Mr. Daniel Carmon and other dignitaries were also present.

4th MARCH CURRENT AFFAIRS

1. World Wild Life Day: 3 March

World Wild Life Day was celebrated all over the world on March 3 to create awareness about the world’s wild animals and plants and safeguard them. 

• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) announced 3 March, as UN World Wildlife Day, to mark the date on which the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was signed.
• The theme for World Wildlife Day 2018 is: “Big cats: predators under threat”.

2. India, Russia, Bangladesh sign pact for Rooppur atomic plant

Indian companies can now participate in construction and installation works in the “non-critical” category for the Rooppur nuclear power plant in Bangladesh.

• The Rooppur project is the first initiative under an Indo-Russian deal to undertake atomic energy projects in third countries.
• This will also be the first time Indian companies will be able to participate in a nuclear power project abroad.
• India is not a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and hence cannot participate directly in construction of atomic power reactors.

3. India has the third highest number of billionaires in the world

With 31 new Indians on the list, India comes third after China and USA on Hurun's Global Rich List 2018.

• However, China with 819 names and USA with 571 are way ahead in terms of number of billionaires.
• The total number of Indians on that list is 131, but if Indian-origins are considered then the tally would move up to 170.
• The Hurun Rich List 2018 ranked 2,694 billionaires from 68 countries and 2,157 companies.

4. List of Agreements signed visit of President of Vietnam to India

MoU on Economic and Trade Cooperation.

• Work Plan for the years 2018-2022 between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam.
• MoU on Cooperation between the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership, India (GCNEP) and the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute (VINATOM).

Points to Remember

• Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia.
• Tran Dại Quang is the President of Vietnam. Nguyen Xuan Phuc is the Prime Minister of Vietnam.
• Hanoi is the Capital of Vietnam while Dong is the Currency.

5. Armen Sarkisian Elected Next Armenian President

Armenia’s parliament on March 2 elected Armen Sarkisian as the country’s next president.

• Ninety lawmakers voted in favor of the 64-year-old Sarkisian, a former prime minister and currently the country’s ambassador to the United Kingdom.
• Sarkisian succeeds Serzh Sarkisian, who opposition leaders say could now become prime minister and continue to wield power.

Points to Remember

• Armenia  is a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia.
• Yerevan is the Capital of Vietnam while Dram is the Currency.

6. SBI Life Insurance appoints Sanjeev Nautiyal as MD, CEO

Private life insurer SBI Life Insurance has appointed Sanjeev Nautiyal as the managing director and chief executive officer of the company for two years.

• The appointment is subject to regulatory approval.
• Nautiyal took over the post from Arijit Basu and was the chief general manager of State Bank of India (SBI)'s Ahmedabad circle until now.
• He had started his career as a probationary officer in SBI in 1985.

7. Shatrughan Sinha wins lifetime achievement award in United Kingdom

Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha has been honoured with a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to the fields of arts and politics at a ceremony in the UK's Parliament complex in London.

• The annual 'Political and Public Life Awards', now in its 12th year, recognize individuals who have made a significant impact on public life or made a difference in their local communities.
• Sinha, who started his career as an actor in late 1960s, has to his credit over 225 Hindi feature films besides several in other Indian languages.
• A member of the ruling BJP, he represents Bihar state's Patna Sahib Constituency in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament.

8. India beat Pakistan to win Snooker Team World Cup

The Indian combine of Pankaj Advani and Manan Chandra staged a remarkable recovery to beat Pakistan in the final of the inaugural IBSF Snooker Team World Cup.

• After being 0-2 down in the best-of-five final, India found themselves in a deeper hole at 0-30 down in the third frame, but won the next three sets to win the game.

9. Noted Odia Bhajan singer Arabinda Muduli passes away

Noted Odia Bhajan singer Arabinda Muduli passed away following a cardiac arrest. He was 56.

• A musician, singer and lyricist, Muduli enthralled the audience with devotional songs and had won the hearts of millions of people in Odisha and elsewhere.
• Born on September 1, 1961 at Khanati in Khordha district, he was a devotee of lord Jagannath and sang only Bhajans.
• He was a disciple of legendary bhajan singer Bhikari Bal.