Daily Current Affairs Analysis Today : 21 –February-2023 : Daily current affairs analysis is a practice that helps individuals prepare for various competitive exams. It involves staying updated on recent and important events around the world, which is essential for answering questions in these exams. This analysis helps aspirants track global developments, keeping them informed and increasing their chances of success.
India-Uzbekistan biennial military training Exercise DUSTLIK 2023 to begin in Uttarakhand
As part of a military-to-military exchange program between the Indian Army and Uzbekistan Army, the fourth edition of biennial training Exercise DUSTLIK (2023) will be conducted till 5th March, 2023 in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand.
The Indian contingent will be represented by the 14th Battalion, The GARHWAL RIFLES, part of Western Command in this bilateral exercise.
The Uzbekistan Army will be represented by troops of the North Western Military District of Uzbekistan Army.
This joint exercise is aimed at enhancing military capability to undertake multi-domain operations in a Sub Conventional scenario under United Nations Mandate.
“DUSTLIK 2023” is a biennial military training exercise between India and which country? Uzbekistan
76th BAFTA: ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ bags best film award
German movie “All Quiet on the Western Front” was the big winner at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), winning seven trophies, including best film and best director.
Irish black comedy “The Banshees of Inisherin” and rock biopic Elvis took four awards at the BAFTAs, which are the UK’s equivalent of Hollywood’s Academy Awards.
Hosted by Richard E Grant, the award ceremony was held at the Royal Festival Hall in London.
Here is a look at winners of the awards, officially known as the EE BAFTA Film Awards:
Best Film: “All Quiet On The Western Front” (Directed by Edward Berger, the anti-war film is based on the 1929 novel of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque. The movie had a total of 14 nominations for the BAFTAs)
Best Director: Edward Berger for “All Quiet On The Western Front”
Best Original Screenplay: Martin McDonagh for “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Best Adapted Screenplay: Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell for “All Quiet On The Western Front”
Best Actor: Austin Butler for “Elvis”
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett for “Tar”
Best Supporting Actor: Barry Keoghan for “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Best Supporting Actress: Kerry Condon for “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Best Film Not in the English Language: “All Quiet On The Western Front”
Outstanding British Film: “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Best Animated Film: Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio”
Best Documentary: “Navalny”
Best Editing: Paul Rogers for Everything Everywhere All at Once
Which German film has won seven trophies including Best Film and Best Director at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA)? “All Quiet on the Western Front”
Rolls-Royce Marine North America inks pact with Kalyani Strategic Service for development of naval propulsion systems for the Indian market
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed by Rolls-Royce Marine North America and Kalyani Strategic Service Limited (KSSL), a 100% subsidiary of Bharat Forge, to investigate the possibility of KSSL serving as an in-country provider for propeller sales in the Indian market.
Key Points:
The agreement may cover installation, commissioning, testing, design and development, licenced manufacture, pre-sales and sales support, installation, and aftermarket services and support, among other things.
According to Rolls-Royce, the new agreement should make it possible to establish a local supply chain ecosystem in India for shafting and propellers with changeable pitch.
According to Kishore Jayaraman, President of Rolls-Royce for India and South Asia, the company is dedicated to meeting the changing needs of the Indian armed forces and is in a good position to provide cutting-edge technological solutions to assist India’s ambition for naval modernization.
Cabinet approves MoU between India , Chile in Agricultural Sector
The Indian Defense Industry is about to undergo a significant transformation in line with the AatmaNirbhar Bharat mission.
Significant steps are being taken by Bharat Forge Ltd. to domesticate important systems and components for the armed forces.
Developing specialised naval propulsion technology and goods for the Indian Navy domestically is the goal of this strategic partnership with Rolls Royce, a longstanding participant in the naval ecosystem with a solid portfolio of technologically advanced products and offerings.
Which North American corporation has tied up with Kalyani Strategic Services for the development of naval propulsion systems for the Indian market? Rolls-Royce Marine North America
UN Social Development Commission elects Ruchira Kamboj its Chair for 62d session
Ruchira Kamboj, India’s permanent representative to the UN, has been chosen to serve as the commission’s chair during the 62nd session.
At the opening session of the 62nd session of the UN Commission for Social Development this week in New York, Kamboj was chosen as chair by acclamation.
Also, it chose Thomas Lammar of Luxembourg, Jon Ivanovski of North Macedonia, and Carla Mara Carlson of the Dominican Republic to serve as the 62nd session’s vice chairs.
Ruchira Kamboj is an Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1987 batch, who currently serves as India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations since August 2022.
Key points:
On the final day of its 61st session, the Commission for Social Development forwarded four draught resolutions to the UN Economic and Social Council for consideration.
One of the proposed resolutions centred on achieving full employment and decent work for everybody to reduce inequality and hasten the COVID-19 pandemic’s recovery was adopted by consensus.
The UN Economic and Social Council would decide that the priority theme for the 62nd session of the Commission will be “Fostering social development and social justice through social policies to accelerate progress on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” and the Commission approved this text during its final meeting of the 62nd session.
Who has been recently elected to serve UN Social Development Commission’s chair during the 62nd session? Ruchira Kamboj
Indian-origin Meghana Pandit named CEO of Oxford University Hospitals
One of the major teaching hospitals in the UK, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, has named Professor Meghana Pandit, a renowned physician of Indian descent, as its CEO. In addition to being the first person of Indian descent to be nominated CEO of any National Health Service (NHS) trust in the Shelford Group, which includes some of the largest teaching hospitals in the nation, Ms. Pandit becomes the trust’s first female chief.
Ms. Pandit, who was serving as the interim CEO at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) since July 2022, was permanently appointed to the post following a “rigorous and competitive process,” which concluded after what OUH described as an extensive national and international recruitment search.
Meghana Pandit:
Ms. Pandit trained in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the Oxford Deanery and was Visiting Lecturer in Urogynaecology at the University of Michigan in the U.S.
She has served as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) within the NHS trusts and led the development of a clinical strategy with the responsibility of overseeing hundreds of doctors.
She is an Honorary Professor at Warwick University and an Associate Fellow at Green Templeton College, University of Oxford.
The CEO of the NHS trust is personally responsible, along with the NHS Chief Executive, as the parliamentary accountable officer for ensuring that the organisation works effectively in accordance with national policy and public service values, and maintains proper financial stewardship.
Name the Indian-origin, who has been named as CEO of Oxford University Hospitals? Meghana Pandit
Indian origin Kartik Subramaniam wins National Geographic’s “Pictures of the Year”
A software engineer of Indian descent who later became a hobbyist photographer has been named the grand prize winner of National Geographic’s “Pictures of the Year” competition. In the year 2020, Karthik Subramaniam began experimenting with his camera after being quarantined at his San Francisco, California, house as a result of the epidemic.
Key Points:
A little under three years later, he captured bald eagles competing for a tree branch in Alaska’s Chilkat Bald Eagle Sanctuary, which helped him win over 5,000 entries in four categories (Nature, People, Places, and Animals) and claim the coveted top spot.
Every fall, over 3,000 bald eagles migrate to Alaska, congregating in the area of Haines, where Subramaniam camped out on the final day of his seven-day shooting excursion to observe the raptors swoop in to eat on fish.
The photographer witnessed a bald eagle bump intimidating another predatory bird into giving up its vantage point for a clear view on the fish being chased by their peers shortly after setting up his camera on a wood near the shore.
The picture will be displayed in the May issue of National Geographic.
Who has been named the grand prize winner of National Geographic’s “Pictures of the Year” ? Kartik Subramaniam
Ayushmann Khurrana appointed as National Ambassador of child rights for UNICEF India
In India, Ayushmann Khurrana will represent UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund).
The actor’s designation as the National Ambassador was announced by UNICEF. As part of his duties, Ayushmann will work with UNICEF to guarantee every child’s rights to life, health, and protection while also fostering their voice and agency in matters that affect them.
Prior to 2020, Ayushmann worked as a Celebrity Advocate for UNICEF India to stop violence against children.
He will work to uphold and defend kids’ rights in his new position. Most recently, he worked with Sachin Tendulkar, Regional Ambassador for UNICEF South, to highlight inclusion and non-discrimination through gender inclusive sports on World Children’s Day 2022.
UNICEF:
UNICEF is an organisation of the United Nations tasked with delivering humanitarian and developmental aid to children all over the world. Formerly known as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund in full, UNICEF is now formally known as the United Nations Children’s Fund.
Executive Director: Catherine Russell
Headquarters: New York, United States
Founded: 11 December 1946
Who has been appointed as National Ambassador of child rights for UNICEF India? Ayushmann Khurrana
BharatPe appoints Aparna Kuppuswamy as Chief Risk Officer
BharatPe Group announced the appointment of Aparna Kuppuswamy as its Chief Risk Officer.
Aparna will be leading the risk portfolio across the BharatPe Group of companies. She will be working closely with the CFO and interim CEO, Nalin Negi.
Prior to joining BharatPe, she was the Chief Risk Officer at SBI Cards for more than 14 years.
BharatPe:
BharatPe makes payment acceptance simple by offering merchants a single QR to accept all payment apps such as PayTm, PhonePe, Google Pay, BHIM and 150+ other UPI apps.
Chief Executive Officer: Suhail Sameer
Chief Operating Officer: Dhruv Dhanraj Bahl
Chief Marketing Officer: Parth Joshi
Who has been named as Chief Risk Officer of BharatPe Group? Aparna Kuppuswamy
India jumps 10 spots to 69th rank in mobile download speed
India climbed 10 spots globally for median mobile speeds, from 79th in December 2022 to 69th in January 2023, as per Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index.
The index showed median mobile download speeds in India increased from 25.29 Mbps in December to 29.85 Mbps in January.
On median fixed broadband speeds, India increased by two spots to 79th position in January.
Meanwhile, Reliance Jio’s True 5G services have gone live in more than 236 cities, becoming the first and only telecom operator to reach such a wide network in a short span of time.
Jio True 5G has a three-fold advantage — stand-alone 5G architecture with advanced 5G network with zero dependencies on 4G network; the largest and best mix of 5G spectrum across 700 MHz, 3500 MHz, and 26 GHz bands; and seamlessly combining these 5G frequencies into a single robust “data highway” using an advanced technology called Carrier Aggregation.
What is the rank of India as per Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index? 69th
Also read: