08 March 2018 Current Affairs
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8th March: International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is a worldwide event that celebrates the achievements of women everywhere. This year’s celebration comes at the heels of an unprecedented movement for women’s rights as 2018 marks 100 years since women gained the vote after the suffragette movement. There have also been global campaigns in the form of #MeToo and #TimesUp – bringing sexual harassment and equal pay to the forefront of the agenda. International Women’s Day 2018 campaign theme is #PressforProgress. The day has been observed since 1908, and falls on March 8 each year.
Mumbai Airport named world’s best for quality service
Airports Council International (ACI), a trade association of 1,953 airports in 176 countries, announced its annual airport service quality (ASQ) awards and Mumbai (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport) tied with Delhi (Indira Gandhi International Airport) for the top position among airports handling over 40 million passengers annually. Beijing and Shanghai Pudong have been ranked second.
Paytm’s CEO is the Youngest Billionaire
Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma (39) is the youngest Indian billionaire. Mr Sharma founded fast-rising mobile wallet Paytm in 2011. He has also created Paytm Mall, an e-commerce business and Paytm Payments Bank. Mr Sharma ranked 1,394th on the list with a fortune of $1.7 billion, is the only Indian billionaire in the under-40 league.
Architect BV Doshi becomes 1st Indian to win Pritzker Prize
Architect Balkrishna Vithaldas Doshi has become the first Indian to win the Pritzker Prize, the highest award in architecture. Calling the 90-year-old’s works “poetic”, the foundation commended him for respecting the eastern culture and working towards enhancing the quality of life in India. Doshi’s most noted works include a low-cost housing project in Indore which accommodates 80,000 people. The award was announced by Tom Pritzker of the Chicago-based Hyatt Foundation.
Delhi Police launches ‘all women patrolling squad’
The South District Police in Delhi launched an ‘all women patrolling squad’ on March 8, 2018, on the occasion of International Women’s Day. The squad named ‘Knightingale’ has been formed to ensure safety and security of women at public places. The squad comprises 16 women personnel, aged between 20-35 years, in the ranks of sub-inspectors and constables who have been trained in unarmed combat and driving.
Justice Gita Mittal conferred ‘Nari Shakti’ award on women’s day
The Acting Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, Justice Gita Mittal conferred the ‘Nari Shakti Puraskar 2017’ by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. The award, known as India’s highest civilian honour for women, bestowed upon 30 women and organizations on March 8, on the occasion of the International Women’s day. Mittal is the first woman from the field of law and justice who conferred the prestigious award. She is known to have introduced many welcome changes in the functioning of the Delhi High Court, ever since she took over as the Acting Chief Justice of the court after the retirement of Justice G Rohini in April 2017.
‘Vision for Future’ event to marks 70 years of Indo-Russia ties held In New Delhi
An event named ‘Vision for Future’ was held in New Delhi to commemorate 70 years of the Indo-Russia ties. The event sought to expose the youth to the dynamic opportunities of cooperation between the two countries. The program inaugurated at the Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra was organised by the Ministry of External Affairs (Eurasia Division) and the International Federation of Indo-Russian Youth Clubs.
India-China trade hits record $84.4 billion in 2017
According to data of Chinese General Administration of Customs, India-China bilateral trade has reached $84.44 billion last year, a historic high with 18.63% year-on-year growth rate. This is regarded as historic landmark in bilateral relations of both countries, as volume of bilateral trade for first time has touched $80 billion, well above the $71.18 billion registered in 2016.