25 - 26 March 2017 - Daily Current Affairs

Pankaj Advani retains Asian Billiards title

Pankaj Advani (32-year) demolished his practice partner B Bhaskar 6-1 in the summit clash of Asian Billiards Championships in Yangon (Myanmar).
Now, Advani remains the reigning Indian, Asian and world champion in billiards for 2017-18.
This is Advani's 11th gold medal at the Asian level of cue sports.
India's Amee Kamani won the Asian Women's Snooker title by defeating Siripaporn Nuanthakhamjan (Thailand) 3-0.

Note:

Pankaj Advani was born in Pune (India) and spent his initial years in Kuwait before moving to Bangalore, India.
He received his education at the Frank Anthony Public School, Bangalore and completed his bachelor's degree in Commerce from Sri Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain College.

Sebastian Vettel wins Australian Grand Prix

German racing driver Sebastian Vettel (driving in Ferrari) has won a dramatic Australian Grand Prix after leapfrogging Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) during a safety car period.
Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari was in the third position.

Note: The Australian Grand Prix is a motor race held annually in Australia currently under contract to host Formula One until 2023.

ISSF Junior World Cup- Anish Bhanwala wins Gold

India's rising shooter Anish Bhanwala (15-year) has won a gold medal at the ISSF Junior World Cup in the 25-meter rapid fire pistol event in Sydney, Australia.
Now, India is placed second in the overall standings with 15 medals (six Gold, three Silver, and six bronze), behind China.
Bhanwala was placed 7th in the same event at the ISSF Senior World Cup.

Australian Captain Steve Smith suspended for one Test match by ICC

Australia captain Steve Smith was handed a one-match suspension and fined 100% of his match fee by ICC after he owned up to a ball-tampering conspiracy in South Africa.
Australia opener Cameron Bancroft has been fined 75% of his match fee and handed three demerit points for breaching Level 2 of the ICC Code of Conduct.
Smith accepted the charge and the proposed sanction of two suspension points which equates to a ban for the next Test match and which will see four demerit points added to his record.

What is Ball-tampering?

The ball tampering (in Cricket) is an action in which a fielder illegally alters the condition of the ball.
The primary motivation of ball tampering is to interfere with the aerodynamics of the ball.

India U-16 football team lifts Jockey Cup

India Under-16 team have won the Jockey Cup International Youth Invitational Football Tournament title in Hong Kong.
They defeated Hong Kong by 4-2.
Earlier, they had defeated Chinese Taipei (4-0) and Singapore by 3-1.
They have already qualified for the AFC Under-16 Finals from where the top four teams will make it to the FIFA Under-17 World Cup.

Important Dates

25th March: International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

The International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade is observed every year on 25^th March to offer the opportunity to honor and remember those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system.
The theme of 2018 is “Remember Slavery: Triumphs and Struggles for Freedom and Equality”.

International Appointments

JS Rajput nominated India’s representative to UNESCO's executive board

Indian govt. has nominated Padma Shri awardee Prof. J S Rajput (former Director NCERT) as India’s representative to the Executive Board (EXB) of UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).
The executive board is one of the constitutional organs of UNESCO examines the work of the organization, elected by the General Conference.
The EXB has a four-year term of office and 58 seats.

Note: In practice, the executive board is the main organ responsible for all policies and programmes of UNESCO.

National Affairs

Assam govt to construct 1 lakh toilets across the state under Swachh Bharat Mission

The Assam Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal has launched a programme to build one lakh toilets across the state under the 'Swachh Bharat Mission'.
This special scheme will be known as Mission Sambhav (or Mission Possible) and construction works will be completed within 10 days.
The state govt. has targeted to make the state Open Defecation Free (ODF) within this year.

Five districts in the state have already been declared ODF.

Madhavpur Mela begins in Porbandar

The four-day ‘Madhavpur Mela’ has begun at Madhavpur Ghed in Porbandar district of Gujarat.
It will showcase for the first time the cultural integration of the North-East with Gujarat.
The festival will see a vibrant cultural trail of art, dance, music, poetry, story-telling and folk drama from the North-Eastern States with the aim to integrate the rich cultures of the two regions.

1st Print Biennale India - 2018 exhibition begins in New Delhi

The first-ever international exhibition of graphic prints ‘Print Biennale India - 2018’ has begun in New Delhi, (till 22^nd April).
The event has been organized by Lalit Kala Akademi, to discover new artistic trends in printmaking nationally and internationally.
Artists across the world have sent their works and are showcasing their artwork in this international exhibition.

Honors & Awards

G.K. Reddy award for journalist Karan Thapar

Former PM Manmohan Singh has presented the G.K. Reddy Memorial National Award -2017 for journalism to Veteran journalist ‘Karan Thapar’ at the event held in New Delhi.
G. K. Reddy was an Indian journalist that attained national and international acclaim for his articles and news stories.
In his memory, the G. K. Reddy Memorial Award for Outstanding Journalism was established by T. Subbarami Reddy.

SACF wins Frederick Pincott award for 2017

A London based organization, South Asian Cinema Foundation (SACF) has received the Frederick Pincott Award for 2017.
The award was given by the Indian High Commissioner, Y K Sinha for promoting Hindi cinema in Britain for the last 18 years.
The institution has been active in boosting original research and books on Indian films, also inviting and honoring filmmakers from India, along with documentary filmmaking and producing classic silent films with live music at the British Film Institute (BFI).

Note: The SACF was set up in London in January 2000 by PK Nair (film archivist), Derek Malcolm (film critic) and Kusum Pant Joshi (social historian-researcher).