Daily Current Affairs Analysis Today : 14 –March-2023 This section is designed to provide a comprehensive and in-depth insight into the world of current affairs. It covers major national and international news and events, important international summits, important national events, political developments, economic developments, sports news and entertainment events. It also provides information regarding upcoming exams like UPSC, IAS/PCS, Banking, IBPS, SSC, Railway, UPPSC, RPSC, BPSC, MPPSC and TNPSC. This section also provides updates on current affairs related to Science & Technology and Business & Economy. In addition to this it also offers regular tests to improve your knowledge on Current Affairs.
Oscars 2023: Indian film RRR creates history, ‘Naatu Naatu’ wins Best Original Song
In the 95th Academy Awards ceremony, India’s ‘Naatu Naatu song’ from SS Rajamouli’s film RRR made history by becoming the first Indian film to win an Oscar for best original song.
Composer of the song M. M. Keeravani along with lyricist Chandrabose collected the award. Playback singers of the Naatu Naatu song, Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava performed the song at the Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles in USA.
RRR is the first Indian film in over two decades to be nominated for the Academy Awards while ‘Naatu Naatu’ was the first Indian song to be nominated at the Oscars.
Another Indian entry in the Academy Awards ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ also won an Oscar in the Best Documentary Short Film category.
This 41 minutes short documentary movie of filmmaker Kartiki Gonsalves and producer Guneet Monga, explores the bond between Raghu, an orphaned baby elephant, and his caretakers.
It is the second Indian song to win this prestigious award, after ‘Jai Ho’, composed by AR Rahman and penned by Gulzar from Slumdog Millionaire (British drama film) won one in 2009 in the same category.
The song already made history in January when it won a Golden Globe for the best original song – a first for India. The same month, it also won the Critics’ Choice award for the best song.
Brendan Fraser won the Best Actor Oscar for ‘The Whale’, while Michelle Yeoh made history as the first Asian woman to win the Best Actress Oscar for ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert won Best Directing award for ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’, which also won Best Picture.
Here’s the complete list of winners:
Best Picture: Everything Everywhere All At Once
Best Actress: Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once)
Best Actor: Brendan Fraser (The Whale)
Best Director: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Schienert (Everything Everywhere All at Once)
Best Film Editing: Everything Everywhere All at Once
Best Original Song: “Naatu Naatu” (RRR)
Best Sound: Top Gun: Maverick
Best Adapted Screenplay: Women Talking
Best Original Screenplay: Everything Everywhere All at Once – Daniel Kwan and Daniel Schienert
Best Visual Effects: Avatar: The Way of Water
Best Animated Feature Film: Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Pinocchio’
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Jamie Lee Curtis in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Ke Huy Quan in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’
Best Documentary Feature Film: ‘Navalny’ by Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris
Best Live Action Short Film: ‘An Irish Goodbye’ by Tom Berkeley and Ross White
Best Cinematography: ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ by James Friend
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Adrien Morot, Judy Chin and Annemarie Bradley for ‘The Whale’
Best Costume Design: Ruth Carter for ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’
Best International Feature Film: ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ – Germany
Best Documentary Short Film: ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ by Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga
Best Animated Short Film: The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse
Best Original Score: All Quiet on the Western Front
Best Production Design: All Quiet on the Western Front
India’s ‘Naatu Naatu song’ from which film made history by becoming the first Indian film to win an Oscar for best original song? RRR
PM Modi inaugurates world’s longest railway platform in Karnataka’s Hubballi
PM Narendra Modi dedicated World`s longest railway platform of 1.5 kilometres at Sri Siddhaarooda railway station in Hubballi in the state of Karnataka.
The inauguration of the platform was done during the PM’s Karnataka visit in the presence of Union Minister Pralhad Joshi.
It is to be noted that Indian Railways, South Western Railway Zones Hubbali is now registered in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the longest platform.
The world’s longest railway platform will cater to the transportation needs of the Hubballi-Dharwad region and will help in enhancing the operational capacity of the yard. Furthermore, it will enable the operations of trains in both directions.
Gorakhpur platform in Uttar Pradesh is the second longest at 1,366.33 meters, and Kollam Junction in Kerala has the third longest platform at 1,180.5 meters.
The Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway:
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also inaugurated the 118-km long Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway.
This new project is expected to aid the social and economic growth in the region.
The new e-way built at a cost of Rs 8,480 crore will reduce the travel time between the cities from 3 hours to around 75 minutes.
Furthermore, the project entails widening NH 275 to six lanes along the Bengaluru-Nidaghatta-Mysuru stretch.
PM Narendra Modi also dedicated new campus of IIT Dharwad, The foundation stone of IIT Dharwad was also laid by him in February 2019.
Developed at a cost of over Rs. 850 crores, the institute currently offers 4-year BTech programs, inter-disciplinary 5-year BS-MS program, MTech and PhD programs.
Where did PM Narendra Modi dedicated World`s longest railway platform of 1.5 kilometres in the state of Karnataka? Sri Siddhaarooda railway station in Hubballi
Iran appoints new national football team head coach
Amir Ghalenoei has been appointed head coach of Iran’s national football team, according to the Iranian Football Federation.
Ghalenoei, a former Iran international midfielder and current head coach of Persian Gulf Pro League team Gol Gohar Sirjan, replaces Portugal’s Carlos Queiroz, who had led Iran at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Ghalenoei, 59, has signed a deal to lead Iran until at least the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, which will be held from January 12 to February 10, 2024 in Qatar.
Ghalenoei previously served as Iran’s head coach from 2006 to 2008.
He led Iran to the 2007 AFC Asian Cup quarterfinals where they lost to South Korea.
Iran:
Capital: Tehran
President: Ebrahim Raisi
Currency: Iranian rial
Who has been appointed as the head coach of Iran’s national football team? Amir Ghalenoei
India’s first Behavioural lab to be set up in Jaipur
The state government announced to development behavioural lab at Harishchandra Mathur Rajasthan State Institute of Public Administration, Jaipur.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in a meeting has approved a financial proposal of Rs 1.22 crore for the lab to be set up at Patel Bhawan at RIPA.
This will be the first behavioural lab in the country to be built with state-of-the-art technology.
The lab to be set up in about 2665.04 square feet area will be managed and operated by IIM Udaipur.
The faculty of the IIM will impart training on applied methods, and certificate courses of Ph.D level will be conducted here.
Experts of international level will be involved in conducting experiments and workshops and human behaviour will be studied with the help of innovative technology, including ultra-modern software and hardware.
Rajasthan:
Capital: Jaipur
Governor: Kalraj Mishra
Chief Minister: Ashok Gehlot
India’s first Behavioural laboratory will be established in which city? Jaipur
HSBC Holdings to buy Silicon Valley Bank’s UK arm
HSBC has swopped into buy the UK arm of collapsed US Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), bringing relief to UK tech firms who warned they could go bust without help.
Customers and businesses who had been unable to withdraw their money will now be able to access it and other banking services as normal.
The deal with HSBC involved no taxpayer money and the Bank of England said deposits were secure.
HSBC said it paid just £1 for the SVB’s UK arm after it failed.
Silicon Valley Bank – which specialised in lending to technology companies – was shut down by US regulators in what was the largest failure of a US bank since 2008.
What went wrong at Silicon Valley Bank?
SVB specialised in lending to start-up firms, and the company served nearly half of US venture-backed technology and healthcare companies that listed on stock markets last year.
The firm, which started as a California bank in 1983, was under pressure as higher interest rates made it harder for its customers to raise money through private fundraising or share sales. More clients were withdrawing deposits in a trend that snowballed.
The bank collapsed in the US after failing to raise enough money to plug losses from the sale of assets, mainly US government bonds, that were affected by higher rates.
Its problems sparked fears it could lead to the collapse of many smaller UK tech firms, with more than 200 bosses of UK tech companies signing a letter addressed to Mr Hunt calling for the government to step in.
Which company has swopped into buy the UK arm of collapsed US Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), bringing relief to UK tech firms who warned they could go bust without help? HSBC Holding
Simon Taufel Steps Down From Position Of Legend League Cricket’s Director Of Match Ethics
Former member of the ICC Elite umpire panel and regarded as one of the best umpires of his time Simon Taufel has stepped down from the position of Director of Match Ethics of Legends League Cricket (LLC).
The Australian who was appointed to the position in December last year will not be available for the rest of the LLC Masters matches due to an issue with his dates.
LLC:
Legends League Cricket or LLCT20 is a T20 cricket league featuring players including recently retired international players.
It is an international edition and third edition of Legends League Cricket, featuring three teams – India Maharajas, Asia Lions and World Giants. Qatar Cricket Association is hosting the tournament in West End Park International Cricket Stadium, Doha, Qatar from 10 March 2023 to 20 March 2023.
For the third edition of the league, legendary cricketers Gautam Gambhir (India Maharajas), Shahid Afridi (Asia Lions), and Aaron Finch (World Giants) were chosen to be the captains of their respective teams.
The first edition of Legends League Cricket was held at the Oman Cricket Academy Ground, Muscat in January 2022.
The league is organized by Absolute Legends Sports Pvt. Ltd.
Former Indian cricketer and India men’s national cricket team coach Ravi Shastri is the Commissioner of the league.
Who is the Commissioner of the Legend League Cricket? Ravi Shastri
Rare Moth found in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi districts after 127 years
Rare moth species Mimeusemia ceylonica has been spotted recently after 127 years.
Mimeusemia ceylonica is a moth species belonging to the subfamily Agaristinae and family Noctuidae.
The species was last sighted 127 years ago at Trincomalee in Sri Lanka in 1893.
It was first described in 1893 by George Hampson, an English entomologist.
It was rediscovered during a moth survey conducted at the Agasthyamalai Community-based Conservation Centre (ACCC) situated in the buffer zone of Kalakkad–Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve KMTR, Tirunelveli district in 2020.
It was again spotted at the Vallanaadu Blackbuck Sanctuary in the Thoothukudi district in 2022.
KMTR:
The Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) is in Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari District of Tamil Nadu
It was declared as the “First Tiger Reserve of Tamil Nadu” and the 17th Tiger Reserve of the country.
It was established in 2010.
It is registered under Tamil Nadu Societies Registration Act 1975.
KMTR consists of the core area consisting of two adjacent sanctuaries namely Kalakad Wildlife Sanctuary, Mundanthurai Tiger Sanctuary in Tirunelveli District, and part of Veerapuli and Kilamalai Reserve Forests in Kanyakumari District.
Mundanthurai Tiger Sanctuary was declared as Nation’s first Tiger Sanctuary in 1962.
Kalakad Wildlife Sanctuary was established in 1976 primarily for the conservation of Lion Tailed Macaque
The river Thamirabarani originates from this tiger reserve.
The reserve is also known as the “River Sanctuary” with as many as 14 rivers originating from this Tiger Reserve.
Which rare moth species was spotted in Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi districts after 127 years? Mimeusemia ceylonica
Government launches MSME Competitive (LEAN) Scheme
The Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises launched the MSME Competitive (LEAN) scheme.
The Scheme is a business initiative to reduce “waste” in manufacturing.
It provides for building awareness of lean manufacturing practices in MSME clusters as well as cost sharing of consultant’s fees with MSME units who opt for such interventions.
Under the scheme, the Centre’s contribution will be 90 per cent of the implementation cost for handholding and consultancy fees as against 80 per cent previously.
The Pilot Phase of Lean Manufacturing Competitiveness Scheme (LMCS) was approved in 2009 for 100 Mini Clusters.
Under the scheme, MSMEs will implement LEAN manufacturing tools like 5S, Kaizen, KANBAN, Visual workplace, Poka Yoka etc under the guidance of trained and competent LEAN Consultants to attain LEAN levels like Basic, Intermediate and Advanced.
Lean Manufacturing Techniques are adopted with the objective of
reducing waste,
increasing productivity,
introducing innovative practices for improving overall competitiveness,
inculcating good management systems and imbibing a culture of continuous improvement.
Nodal Agency: National Productivity Council (NPC)
Eligibility: The Scheme is open to Micro, Small or Medium as per the definition of the MSME Act. (The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006.)
The units are required to form a Mini Cluster of 10 or so units.
Benefits:
Under the Scheme, MSMEs are assisted in reducing their manufacturing costs, through proper personnel management, better space utilization, scientific inventory management, improved processed flows, reduced engineering time and so on.
LMCS (Lean Manufacturing Competitiveness Scheme) also brings improvement in the quality of products and lowers costs, which are essential for competing in national and international markets.
Which ministry has recently launcehd LEAN scheme? Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
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