1. World's Longest suspension bridge inaugurated in Turkey
Tags: Popular International News
The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan inaugurated the world's largest suspension bridge on 18 March 2022 across Dardanelles Strait in northwestern Turkey - which cuts travel time between Asia and Europe to six minutes.
The 1915 Canakkale Bridge was built by Turkish and South Korean firms with an investment of 2.5 billion euros ($2.8 billion),connecting Turkey's European and Asian shores.
The 2,023 metre length of its midspan (distance between the two towers) is an allusion to the Turkish Republic's 100th anniversary in 2023.
Its towers are 318 metres (347.8 yards) high and the total length of the bridge is 4.6 km (2.9 miles) including the approach viaducts.
Now the second longest suspension bridge in the world is Japan’s Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, which has a 1,992-m-long main span.
Ambassador Bridge on the river detroit, which connects Canada and the United States of America is the International suspension bridge in the world.
Important for Exam
Dardanelles Strait
It links the Agean sea with the sea of Marmara .
The Strait is a narrow body of water which connects two large bodies of water .
Dardanelles strait is one of the narrowest international straits and it separates Asian Turkey from European Turkey.
Turkey lies partly in Asia and partly in Europe .
It's currency : Turkish Lira
Capital : Ankara
President :Tayyip Erdogan
2. Russia uses Hypersonic Missile In Ukraine
Tags: Popular International News
Russia said on 19 March 2022 that it had used hypersonic Kinzhal (Kh-47M2) missiles to destroy a large weapons depot in Ukraine's western Ivano-Frankivsk region.
It was the first time Russia had deployed the hypersonic Kinzhal system since it sent its troops into Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
The Kinzhal missile can be fired from Mig-31 fighter aircraft. The missile can carry both conventional warheads or nuclear weapons.
Hypersonic Missile
Hypersonic missiles are those missiles which can fly five times the speed of sound in the upper atmosphere or about 6,200 km per hour.
The main feature of the missile is its manoeuvrability which makes its detection by radar very difficult.
At present China has tested the missile and North Korea has also claimed to have tested it. The United States of America do not have these types of missiles.
Defence and Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is also working on developing this technology in India. In 2020 it successfully conducted the maiden test of the High-Speed Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HSTDV) using an indigenously developed propulsion system.
3. Ashish Jha appointed United States covid response coordinators
Tags: Popular Person in news
Indian American Dr Ashish Jha has been appointed as the covid response coordinator by the American President Joe Biden.
Dr Jha was born in Madhubani in Bihar and was the Dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.
4. Sri Lankan finance minister Basil Rajapakse visit to India
Tags: Popular Person in news
The Sri Lankan finance minister Basil Rajapakse visited India on 16 and 17th March 2022. It was his second visit to India after his December 2021 visit.
Sri Lanka is facing a severe economic crisis and Sri Lanka wants economic assistance from India. India has already provided a $500-million line of credit for purchasing fuel and a currency swap of $400 million.
For more detail kindly see 3 December 2021, 14 January 2022 post also
5. Bhagwant Mann sworn as the 18th Chief Minister of Punjab
Tags: Popular State News
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Bhagwant Mann was sworn in as the 18th Chief Minister of Punjab on 16 March 2022. The Governor of Punjba shri Banwari lal Purohit administers the oath of office to Bhagwant Mann at Khatkar Kalan, the native village of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.
Bhagwant Mann was elected from Dhuri Assembly constituency with 58206 votes.
The Aam Aadmi party won 92 seats in the 117 Punjab Legislative Assembly.
The election to constitute the 16th Legislative Assembly of Punjab was held on 20 February 2022.
Charanjit Singh Channi of Congress party who was the 17th Chief Minister of Punjab lost the election.
Important for Exam
Article 164 of the constitution provides that the Chief Minister of a state is appointed by the Governor of the state and the other ministers are appointed on the advice of the chief Minister.
The oath which the Chief Minister and the Minister takes are mentioned in the Third Schedule of the Constitution.
6. ICJ ask Russia to stop military operation in Ukraine
Tags: Popular International News
The top United Nation court , International Court of Justice(ICJ), has asked Russia to immediately stop its military operations in Ukraine. In a 13-2 judgement pronounced on 16 March 2022 the court ordered the”Russian Federation to immediately suspend the military operations that it commenced on Feb 24, 2022 on the territory of Ukraine.”
The court also ordered that Russia must also ensure that other forces under its control or supported by Moscow should not continue the military operation.
Ukraine filed its case at the ICJ shortly after Russia's invasion began on Feb. 24, saying that Moscow's stated justification, that it was acting to prevent a genocide in eastern Ukraine, was unfounded.
During hearings earlier this month, Ukraine said there was no threat of genocide in eastern Ukraine, and that the U.N.'s 1948 Genocide Convention, which both countries have signed, does not allow an invasion to prevent one.
Although the rulings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) are binding, it has no direct means of enforcing them, and in rare cases in the past countries have ignored them.
Russia never participated in the ICJ hearing on the Ukraine case and it has rejected the ICJ ruling.
International Court of Justice(ICJ)
The International Court of Justice is successor to the Permanent Court of Justice set up in 1920 by the League of Nations.
After the Second World war, it was replaced by the International Court of Justice in 1945. The United Nation replaced the League of Nation in 1945.
ICJ is one of the six principal organs of the United Nation and is also called the World Court.
It hears cases relating to disputes between the member states of the United Nations according to International law.
Headquarters of the ICJ : The Hague, Netherlands
ICJ is composed of 15 Judges elected by the UN for a term of Nine Years .
Four Indian has so far been elected as the Judge of the ICJ
B.N RAU, in 1952 -53
NAGENDRA SINGH ( He was the President of the ICJ from 1985-1988). He was the first Indian judge to have been elected for a 9 years term
R.S.Pathak (1989-91)
DALVEER BHANDARI (2012- till date)
7. Karnataka High Court rule that Hijab is not a part of Islamic culture
Tags: Popular National News
A three judge bench of the Karnataka High Court headed by Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi and which also included justice Krishna S Dixit and Justice Jaibunnisa M Khazi has dismissed petition filed by some muslim students which challenged the Karnataka government order to ban the wearing of hijab in educational isntituions where uniform were prescribed.
The petition challenged the state government order dated 05.02.2022 issued under sections 7 & 133 of the Karnataka Education Act, 1983. This order directs the College Development Committees all over the State to prescribe ‘Student Uniform’,
In the RESHAM AND ANOTHER VS. STATE OF KARNATAKA AND OTHERS 2022 main issues raised by the petitioners in the court were as follows :
Whether wearing the hijab or the headscarf is part of essential religious practice in Islamic faith under article 25 of the Constitution?”
Second issue was ;Whether wearing school uniform is violation of petitioners fundamental rights guaranteed under article 19 (1) a of the constitution that is freedom of expression and article 21 that is privacy?
Third Issue was ; The government order of 5 February 2022 which made uniform compulsory in educational institution was violative of fundamental rights of article 14 ,which guarantees equality before law and article 15 which prohibits the dicrimination by state on the basis of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them?
The High Court Judgement
The High Court held that “wearing of the hijab by Muslim women does not make up an essential religious practice in Islamic faith” as per the article 25 of the constitution which provides freedom to practice and propagate of religion in India.
On the second issue the court held that the government has the power to impose reasonable restrictions on the right to freedom under Article 19 of the constitution. Hence the government move to prescribe uniforms for the students is a reasonable restriction under article 19 of the constitution. The state can make this rule.
On the third issue the court held that the government was competent to issue the 5 February order 2022 which made uniform compulsory for students and banned hijab was valid.
Seat of Karnataka High Court : Bangalore
8. Country’s first Artificial Intelligence & Robotics Technology Park launched in Bengaluru
Tags: Popular Science and Technology
The country’s first Artificial Intelligence & Robotics Technology Park (ARTPARK) was launched in Bengaluru on 14 March 2022. It is promoted by a not-for-profit foundation set up by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru.
The Park has been set up with a capital of Rs 230 crore out of which the central government contribution is Rs 170 crore and the Karnataka government contribution is Rs 60 crore.
The ARTPARK will work on creating a globally leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics Innovation ecosystem in the country.
Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
The Indian Institute of Science was set up in 1909 at Bengaluru, Karnataka by a partnership between the industrialist JRD Tata, the Mysore royal family and the Government of India.
IISc is India's premier institute for advanced scientific and technological research and education.
In 2018, IISc was selected as an Institution of Eminence (IoE) by the Government of India.
9. India’s first Digital Water Bank ‘AQVERIUM’ launched in Bengaluru
Tags: Popular State News
The country’s first Digital Water Bank ‘AQVERIUM’ was launched in Bengaluru on 14 March 2022. It has been launched by new age company AquaKraft Group Ventures.
It is a digital blockchain platform which would convert water conserved by companies and other institutions into water coins.
These coins will be traded like crypto currencies and will have economic value like other digital assets.
10. Narayan Pradhan selected for GD Birla Award for Scientific Research
Professor Narayan Pradhan has been selected for the 31st GD Birla Award for Scientific Research 2022 for his outstanding contribution in the field of material sciences. This was announced by the K.K.Birla foundation on 14 March 2022.
Professor Narayan Pradhan is presently a member of the faculty at the School of Material Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur,West Bengal.
GD Birla Award for Scientific Research
The GD Birla award was started by the K.K.Birla foundation in 1991 to honour the founder of the Birla group, Ghanshyam Das Birla.
It is given to an Indian scientist living in India and under the age of 50 years for outstanding research in the past 5 years.
It carries a cash prize of Rs 5 Lakhs.
30th award 2021 winner : Prof Suman Chakraborthy.
It is given every year.
