27 March 2019 - Daily Current Affairs

The world’s largest e-waste recycling plant has been opened in Dubai Industrial Park, Dubai by ‘Enviroserve’ company with a total cost of USD 5 million.
It will recycle Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), IT asset disposition (ITAD), refrigerant gas and specialized waste.
The processing capacity of this recycling hub is 100,000 tonnes of total integrated waste (per year), of which 39,000 tonnes is e-waste.
The facility can process the entire range of WEEE from consumer and industrial to commercial and military.
The project is supported by the Swiss Government Export Finance Agency.

Source: Gulf News UAE

Important Days

The World Theatre Day (WTD) is observed globally every year on 27th March to generate awareness about the importance of theatre arts.
World Theatre Day was created in 1961 by an international non-governmental organization International Theatre Institute (ITI), France.
ITI was founded in 1948 by UNESCO and the international theatre community.

Note:

Each year, a World Theatre Day International Message is circulated, through which, at the invitation of International Theatre Institute (ITI), a figure of world stature shares his/her reflections on the theme of Theatre and a Culture of Peace.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has slapped a penalty of Rs. 2 crores on Punjab National Bank (PNB) for non-compliance of regulatory directions about ‘SWIFT’ operations.
‘SWIFT’ is a global messaging software used for sharing information on inter-bank transactions by financial entities.
The massive Rs 14,000-crore fraud perpetrated by billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi at the PNB was a case of misuse of this messaging software.
Earlier this year, the Reserve Bank had imposed penalties worth Rs 71 crore on 36 public, private and foreign banks for non-compliance with various directions on time-bound implementation and strengthening of SWIFT operations.

Source: The Economic Times

A social entrepreneur from India is among 16 persons selected by Yale University as the 2019 World Fellows.
Neha Upadhyaya founded GUNA Organics in 2014 that provides ethically-sourced organic food products grown by rural female Indian farmers.
Upadhyaya's work has also focussed on working with children suffering from various health issues including diabetes, autism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
She has been the recipient of Future Leaders Connect (2018) and Social Impact India (2017) awarded by the British Council.
She has won several prototype grants and awards, including Entrepreneur Excellence award by I.I.T. Delhi (2017).

Note:

The 2019 class of Yale World Fellows brings the total number of World Fellows since the program's start in 2002 to 346 Fellows, representing 91 countries.
The World Fellows program is Yale University's signature global leadership development initiative and a core element of Yale's ongoing commitment to internationalization.

Source: Business Standard

The CBSE is set to introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI), Early Childhood Care Education (ECCE), and Yoga as skill subjects in the school curriculum for the upcoming academic session.
A decision to introduce the three subjects was taken at a recent meeting of the board's governing body.
The CBSE is introducing artificial intelligence as an optional 6th subject at Class IX from the session 2019-2020 onwards.
The board has also decided to introduce yoga and early childhood education as elective subjects at the senior secondary level.

Source: The Indian Express

According to Airports Council International (ACI) report, India’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has become the world's 12th busiest airport, moving up four places (in 2017- 16th spot).
The preliminary world airport traffic rankings for 2018 has been released by the Airports Council International (ACI).
The IGI airport saw 6.9 crore domestic and international flyers in 2018, which is 10.2% points higher than the combined passengers of 2017.
ACI's World Airport Traffic Forecasts also predicts that India will represent the third largest aviation market, in terms of passenger throughput, after the US and China by 2020.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the US was named the busiest airport in the world.

Note:

Indira Gandhi International Airport serves as the primary civilian aviation hub for the National Capital Region of Delhi, India.

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman has gone back to his squadron in Srinagar though he is on a four-week sick leave.
Abhinandan Varthaman was captured by Pakistan last month and returned to India two days later.
The IAF pilot went on leave around 12 days ago after security agencies completed a nearly two-week debriefing after his return from Pakistan.
After his four-week sick leave period, a medical board will review his fitness to help the IAF top brass decide whether he can return to fighter cockpit as desired by him.

Source: The Indian Express

Renowned Malayalam writer and poet Ashita (63-year) passed away at a private hospital in Thrissur, Kerala.
She did her graduation and post-graduation in English Literature from Maharaja’s College, Ernakulam.
Ashita has been the recipient of several awards including the prestigious Edaserri Award (1986) and the Lalithambika Antharjanam Award (1994).

Source: The Indian Express

Indian Navy's frontline corvette INS Kadmatt reached Malaysian archipelago Langkawi.
It will participate in the 15th edition of Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition, LIMA-19.
INS Kadmatt is an indigenous stealth anti-submarine warfare corvette and was commissioned into the Indian Navy in January 2016.
The ship is fitted with state-of-the-art weapons, sensors and machinery.

Source: Business Today

The Amateur International Boxing Federation (AIBA) President Gafur Rahimov has announced his resignation claiming that political based discussions were harming the organization’s progress.
Rahimov will be replaced by an interim president.
Rahimov, an Uzbek businessman who has been accused by the US authorities of having ties to organized crime, was elected the president of AIBA in November 2018.

Note:

The International Boxing Association (AIBA) is a sports organization that sanctions amateur (Olympic-style) boxing matches and awards world and subordinate championships.
The organization has been involved in multiple corruption scandals including on several editions of the Summer Olympic Games.

Source: Business Standard

First Indian Army Mountaineering Expedition to Mt Makalu (8485m) comprising five Officers, two JCOs and eleven OR was flagged off by Director General Military Training.
In furtherance of the objective of summiting all challenging peaks above 8000M, Indian Army is launching its maiden expedition to Mt Makalu in Mar-May 2019.
Mt Makalu is considered amongst the most dangerous peaks and summiting the peak is considered extremely challenging due to inclement weather conditions and freezing temperatures.
The team will embark for the challenging mission from New Delhi and will set up six camps en-route to summit point on Mt Makalu.

Source: Business Standard