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Current Affairs - 20 March 2022
1. Finland Crowned World's Happiest Nation for Fifth Year
- Finland has been named the world's happiest country for the fifth year running, in an
annual UN-sponsored index that ranked Afghanistan as the unhappiest, closely followed by Lebanon. - The latest list was completed before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
- Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia recorded the biggest boosts in wellbeing. The largest falls in the World Happiness table, released on Friday, came in Lebanon, Venezuela and Afghanistan.
- India has improved its rank by three spots to acquire 136th position in the United Nations’ World Happiness Report for the year 2022, which ranked 146 countries.
- In 2021, India’s rank was 139.
Foot Notes:
About Finland:
Capital: Helsinki
Prime Minister: Sanna Marin
Currency: Euro
President: Sauli Niinistö
2. NMDC Sign MoU with IIT Kharagpur for drone-based mineral exploration
- The National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd. (NMDC), has signed an MoU for
‘Drone-Based Mineral Exploration’ with IIT Kharagpur. - The NMDC Limited is a government-owned mineral producer, under Ministry of Steel, and the largest Iron Ore producer in India.
- With this MoU, NMDC becomes the first CPSE in India to conduct Drone-based Geophysical Surveys and Hyperspectral Studies for Mineral Exploration in the country.
Foot Notes:
About NMDC:
Headquarters: Hyderabad
Founded: 15 November 1958
3. Jay Shah’s term as President of Asian Cricket Council extended by one year
- The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has unanimously extended the tenure of its incumbent
President Jay Shah for a period of one year. - The decision was taken during the annual general meeting of ACC on March 19, 2022.
- Jay Shah is the Secretary of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) since 2019.
- Shah was first appointed as the President of ACC in January 2021, replacing Nazmul Hassan, the President of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
4. Rajesh Gopinathan re-appointed as MD and CEO of TCS for five years
- The board of IT major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has announced the re-
appointment of Rajesh Gopinathan as the Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company for five years. - His second term will begin from February 21, 2022 to February 20, 2027.
- Rajesh Gopinathan was first appointed as the CEO and MD of TCS in 2017.
Foot Notes:
About TCS:
CEO: Rajesh Gopinathan
Founded: 1 April 1968
Headquarters: Mumbai
5. NATO Begins military exercise ‘Cold Response 2022’ in Norway
- The NATO has organised the massive military drill ‘Cold Response 2022’ in Norway from
March 14, 2022 and will continue till April 01, 2022. - The exercise is held in Norway every second year, for NATO Allies and partners.
- The Norwegian-led exercise provides an opportunity to train together in cold weather conditions over challenging terrain and demonstrates NATO’s ability to respond decisively to any threat, from any direction.
Foot Notes:
About NATO:
Founded: 4 April 1949
Headquarters: Brussels, Belgium
Chairman of the NATO Military Committee: Lt. Admiral Rob Bauer, Royal Netherlands Navy
6. UN French Language Day 2022: 20 March
- The UN French Language Day is observed annually on 20 March.
- The day was established by UN’s Department of Public Information in 2010.
- It is one of the six official languages used throughout the Organization, and aims to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity as well as promote equal use of all.
- March 20 was chosen as the date for the French language since it coincides with the 40th anniversary of the International Organization of La Francophonie, which represents countries and regions where French is a customary language.
7. PM Modi to inaugurate centenary-year celebrations of Malayalam Daily, Mathrubhumi
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the year-long celebrations of the
centenary year of the Malayalam Daily, Mathrubhumi at 11 AM through video conferencing. - Mathrubhumi started functioning on 18th March in 1923. It has been at the forefront of pushing across social reforms and developmental agenda, while constantly highlighting issues of national interest.
- Mathrubhumi has 15 editions and 11 periodicals. Also, the Mathrubhumi Books division publishes titles on a wide range of issues of contemporary interest.
8. Centre releases India's Arctic Policy for sustainable development
- With a significant stake in the Arctic region, India is one of the 13 nations holding
Observer status in the Arctic Council, a high-level inter-governmental forum that addresses issues faced by the Arctic government and the indigenous people of the region. - The Centre released its Arctic policy titled 'India and the Arctic: building a partnership for sustainable development'.
- The policy document lays down six pillars: Strengthening India's scientific research and cooperation; climate and environmental protection; economic and human development; transportation and connectivity; governance and international cooperation, and national capacity building in the Arctic region.
9. Emirati-flagged cargo ship sinks in Persian Gulf off Iran
- An Emirati-flagged cargo ship sank Thursday off Iran in the Persian Gulf in poor
weather, authorities said, with rescuers attempting to account for all of its 30 crew members. - Capt. Nizar Qaddoura, the operations manager of the Salem Al Makrani Cargo company, told The Associated Press that the Al Salmy 6 encountered rough and stormy weather, then capsized.
- The crew consisted of nationals from Sudan, India, Pakistan, Uganda, Tanzania and Ethiopia
- The vessel had been on its way to Umm Qasr, Iraq, carrying cars and other cargo.
- The vessel was some 30 miles off the coast of Asaluyeh, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.
Foot Notes:
About Iran:
Capital: Tehran
Currency: Iranian rial
President: Ebrahim Raisi
10. Security Council extends mandate of UN mission in Afghanistan
- The Security Council has adopted a resolution to extend the mandate of the UN
Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for a year till March 17, 2023. - Resolution 2626 decides that UNAMA and the UN Secretary-General's special representative will continue to carry out their mandate in support of the people of Afghanistan, in close consultations with all relevant Afghan political actors and stakeholders, including relevant authorities as needed, obviously in reference to the Taliban, reports Xinhua news agency.
- Norwegian UN ambassador Mona Juul, whose country tabled the draft, explained after the vote that the resolution authorizes UNAMA to engage with all relevant actors on all aspects of its mandate, including the Taliban.
Foot Notes:
About Afghanistan:
Capital: Kabul
Currency: Afghan afghani
Prime Minister: Hasan Akhund (acting)
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