Daily Current Affairs, 21st March 2019

1) International Day of Forests: 21 March

•The International Day of Forests is held annually on 21 March to raise awareness of the importance of forests to people and their vital role in poverty eradication, environmental sustainability and food security. The theme for 2019 is Forests and Education.

•The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on 21 December 2012, which declared that 21 March of each year is to be observed as the International Day of Forests.

2) First Ever High-Level Dialogue On Indo-Pacific Cooperation (HLD-IPC) Held In Jakarta

•The Government of Indonesia has hosted the first ever High-Level Dialogue on Indo-Pacific Cooperation (HLD-IPC) in its capital city Jakarta. The theme of the HLD was ‘Towards a Peaceful, Prosperous, and Inclusive Region’. It was inaugurated by Indonesia’s Vice President Jusuf Kalla.

•The objective behind this meet was to urge all participating governments to talk openly about their plans for increasing cooperation and for building trust in the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean region.

3) CBSE Launches Shiksha Vani App

•The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) launched a new podcast app ‘Shiksha Vani’ that will disseminate crucial information to students and parents in a timely manner.

4) Physicist Marcelo Gleiser Wins Templeton Prize 2019

•Brazilian physicist and astronomer Marcelo Gleiser has been awarded the 2019 Templeton Prize, worth $1.4 million, for his work blending science and spirituality. Gleiser, 60, is the first Latin American to win the award. Previous winners of the award, started in 1972 by late global investor Sir John Templeton, include the Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa.

5) SBI Signed MoU With Bank of China For Business Opportunities

•The country’s largest lender State Bank of India has signed a pact with the Bank of China to boost business opportunities. SBI has signed an MoU to enhance business synergies between both the banks.

•Through this pact, both SBI and BoC will gain direct access to their respective markets of operation. Both banks’ clients will be able to use the vast combined network to expand their businesses abroad. SBI has a branch in Shanghai and BOC is opening its branch in Mumbai.

6) Special Olympics Games 2019 Concludes: India Bag 368 Medals

•India returned with 368 medals (85 gold, 154 Silver, and 129 Bronze) at the Special Olympics World Summer Games, held at Abu Dhabi, UAE. Indian powerlifters bagged the maximum number of medals 20 gold, 33 silver and 43 bronze.

•Roller Skating earned India 49 medals 13 gold, 20 silver and 16 bronze. In cycling, the Indians won 11 gold, 14 silver and 20 bronze to total 45 medals, while the country’s track and field athletes returned with 39 medals 5 gold, 24 silver and 10 bronze.