News

Which city emerged on top on the ASICS, 2017 Report ?                                                                                Pune

Pune emerged on top among 23 Indian cities in terms of quality of urban governance in the 5th ‘Annual Survey of India’s City Systems’ (ASICS), 2017 Report released on March 14, 2018 by an urban research group ‘Janaagraha’. Pune scored 5·1 points on a scale of 10, the only city to go beyond 5 points. Rest of 22 cities on the list scored below five. Bengaluru remained on bottom of the Report with poorly 3 points. Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram and Bhubaneswar came just behind Pune at 4·6 points. The ASICS-2017 was prepared on the basis of four indicators—urban planning, resources, political representation, and transparency and participation.

Which South Indian state unveiled its proposed state flag ?                                                                         Karnataka

Karnataka Chief Minister K. Siddaramaiah on March 8, 2018 unveiled the proposed official state flag for Karnataka, calling it a ‘sign of Kannadiga pride’. If this flag got approval of the centre government, Karnataka will be the second Indian state to have a separate state flag after Jammu and Kashmir. The ‘Naada Dhwaja’ (State’s flag) carries yellow, white and red stripes and the state’s emblem ‘Gandaberunda’ or the two-headed mythological bird at its centre. The centre government will take final decision on the flag on a proposal for this purpose from the Karnataka government as a state has no powers to announce its own flag.

Where was the first International Solar Alliance (ISA) Summit organised ?                                          In New Delhi

First International Solar Alliance (ISA) Summit was organized in New Delhi on March 11, 2018. The Summit was co-hosted by President Ram Nath Kovind and French President Emmanuel Macron. Heads of 21 nations and many government representatives attended the summit. The aim of the summit is to deliberate on a finance mechanism for the promotion of solar energy and technology transfer in the ISA member countries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Macron jointly inaugurated the summit.

Where was 105th Indian Science Congress organized ?                                  Manipur Central University, Imphal

The 10th Indian Science Congress was organized at Manipur Central University in Imphal from March 16 to 20, 2018. ‘Reaching the Unreached Through Science and Technology’ was the theme of this year’s ISC which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 16. Thousands of students, scientists including some nobel laureates attended the mega science event. Imphal is the second north-east city to host the ISC as Shillong had hosted the ISC in 2009. The 106th edition of ISC will be hosted in Barkatullah University, Bhopal next year.

Who was honoured with the Sportsperson of the year award at the 3rd Times of India sports Awards ?

Kidambi Srikanth

India’s badminton star Kidambi Srikanth was honoured with the sportsperson of the year award at the 3rd Mahindra Scorpio Times of India Sports Awards on February 26, 2018 in Mumbai. Srikanth won the honour for his last year’s outstanding badminton achievements, winning super series titles in Indonesia, Australia, Denmark and France. Indian tennis legend Vijay Amritraj was honoured with the TOISA Lifetime Achievement Award. National badminton coach Pullela Gopichand won the Mentor of the year honour. Many other Indian sports personalities won the awards in their respective sports.

Which country was ranked the happiest country on the UN World Happiness Report, 2018 ?                    Finland

Finland emerged as the happiest country to live in on the World Happiness Report, 2018 released by the UN sustainable Development Solutions Network in March 2018. Finland pipped Norway, the last edition topper to claim the top spot this year. Norway and Denmark secured second and third places respectively on the Report. European countries dominated the Report as usual. Seven out of top ten spots of the happiest countries were claimed by them, including top five spots. The Report ranked 156 countries by happiness level, based on factors such as income, freedom, trust, healthy life expectancy, social support and generosity. India was ranked on 133 spot on the Report. Burundi secured the last position on 156th as it was adjudged the least happy country on the Report.

Who became the first Indian to win the Pritzker Prize, 2018 ?                                                       Balkrishna Doshi

Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi was honoured with the Pritzker Prize, which is considered equivalent to the Nobel in architecture, on March 7, 2018. Mr. Doshi is the 45th Pritzker laureate and the first Indian to win this honour. He is a pioneer of low cost housing design. The award carries $ 1,00,000 as prize money and bronze medallion. The Pritzker award was instituted by Chicago’s Pritzker family in 1979. Mr. Doshi has worked with great Franco-Swiss architect Le Corbusier.    

Who has been honoured with the Global Teacher Award-2018 ?                                         Frank-Walter Steinmeier

British teacher Andria Zafirakou won the coveted Global Teacher Award for 2018 for her role in promoting education and literacy in adverse situation. Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum felicitated Andria with the $ 1 million honour in Dubai on March 18, 2018. Andria is the arts and textiles teacher from the Alperton Community College at Brent in London. The awardee teacher will receive $ 1 million in equal instalments over 10 years but she will have to continue teaching for at least five years.

What is the name of the World’s biggest cruise ship ?                                                             Symphony of the Seas

French shipbuilder STX handed over the world’s biggest cruise liner—‘Symphony of the Seas’ to Royal Caribbean International of USA on March 23, 2018. Symphony of the Seas weights 2,28,000 tonnes. Built over two years it can hold up to 8,000 people. It is 362 metres long and carries an ice rink, a water park and a full-size basketball court along with 2,700 cabins. The Symphony is the 13th ship that STX has built for the Royal Caribbean.