Daily Current Affairs- 13 March

Today's Current Affairs 13th March 2023

INTERNATIONAL

Saudi Arabia launches new national airline

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman formally announced on Sunday the creation of a new national airline, Riyadh Air, with industry veteran Tony Douglas as its chief executive, as the kingdom moves to compete with regional transport and travel hubs.

Riyadh Air will serve more than 100 destinations around the world by 2030, making use of the kingdom's location between Asia, Africa and Europe,

SPORTS

India win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2-1 against Australia and also qualify for 2023 WTC Final

India vs Australia: Australia played out a draw in the final Test in Ahmedabad but India took the series 2-1 and won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the fourth successive time. And India have also qualified for the World Test Championship final where they will face Australia at The Oval.

APPOINTMENS & RESIGNATIONS

RBI approves reappointment of Sumant Kathpalia as MD, CEO of IndusInd Bank

IndusInd Bank said the central bank has approved the re-appointment of Sumant Kathpalia as MD and CEO for a period of two years from 24 March, 2023. The nod by RBI comes nearly six months after the IndusInd Bank's board of directors had cleared another term for Kathpalia, who has been the lender's MD & CEO since March 2020.

At IndusInd Bank, he has been part of the management team for 15 years ago. He has been a key member of the top-level executive committee looking at IndusInd Bank-wide financial management, managing investor relations and evaluating inorganic growth opportunities.

Tech Mahindra appoints Mohit Joshi as MD & CEO

Tech Mahindra announced Mohit Joshi, the former president of Infosys, as its managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) designate for a period of five years, effective from 20 December 2023.

Mohit Joshi will take over as MD & CEO when CP Gurnani retires on 19 December 2023. However, he will join Tech Mahindra well before that date to allow for sufficient transition time, said the company.

Govt appoints Siddhartha Mohanty as interim chairman of LIC

Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) on Monday said that M R Kumar has completed his term as the Chairman. The government has approved the appointment of Siddhartha Mohanty as the interim Chairman of LIC for three months with effect from March 14, the insurer said last week.

The government is set to appoint a full-time chairman at LIC by June, a finance ministry official said, Mint reported. The official said the chairman would be selected from among candidates available within the life insurer and would serve a term of around a year.

 IMPORTANT DAYS

World Rotaract Day

World Rotaract Day - 13 March: is a special day dedicated to celebrating and recognizing the accomplishments of young adults who are involved in the Rotaract movement. Rotaract is a global network of young professionals who work together to promote community service, professional development, and cultural exchange. The day is observed on March 13th each year and is an opportunity to raise awareness about the work that Rotaract clubs are doing around the world.

Rotaract was first established in 1968 in North Carolina, USA, and has since grown to become a global movement with over 250,000 members in more than 10,000 clubs around the world. Rotaract clubs are made up of young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 who come together to address community needs, develop leadership skills, and build international understanding.

On World Rotaract Day, Rotaract clubs around the world hold events and activities to celebrate the achievements of their members and raise awareness about the impact of their work. These events can include service projects, social gatherings, fundraising activities, and more.

Commonwealth Day

Every year, on the second Monday of March, 56 countries from around the world hold celebrations to commemorate Commonwealth Day. While this day was originally referred to as “Empire Day” and had been celebrated on Queen Victoria’s birthday on May 24th since 1904, Commonwealth Day wasn’t established as such until 1977, when one of its member states proposed this date for all member states of the organization to simultaneously celebrate this occasion, led by the head of the Commonwealth of Nations, the current British ruler.

With 'Forging a Sustainable and Peaceful Common Future' as its theme, the day aims to unite 2.5 billion Commonwealth citizens in celebration of their shared values and principles, and in pursuit of a common future, centred on sustainability and peace.

SUMMIT'S & MOU's

Lockheed Martin, & Tata ink MoU for fighter plane wings production in India

Global defence aerospace player Lockheed Martin and Indias Tata Group have inked an agreement for the production of fighter plane wings at their joint venture Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Ltd (TLMAL) in Hyderabad.

According to Lockheed Martin, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) envisions production of 29 fighter wing shipsets, with an option of additional shipsets, with deliveries commencing in 2025.

AWARDS & RECOGNITION 

'Naatu Naatu' from ‘RRR’ won Oscars for Best Original Song

'Naatu Naatu' from SS Rajamouli’s hit ‘RRR’ won Oscars for Best Original Song. The audience was captivated as they watched Ram Charan and Jr NTR's spectacular dance moves in the song. The crowd cheered wildly when MM Keeravani (composer of the song) walked up to the stage to accept the prestigious award. 

There has never been an Oscar nomination in this category from an Indian production before RRR’s ‘Naatu Naatu’. AR Rahman's 'Jai Ho', written for the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire, was awarded the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2009. However, Slumdog Millionaire was made by British production whereas RRR is an Indian production.

While ‘Naatu Naatu’ was nominated for Best Original Song, ‘All That Breathes’ and ‘The Elephant Whisperers’ were nominated for Best Documentary Feature and Best Documentary Short Film, respectively. 'The Elephant Whisperers' took home the trophy while 'All That Breathes' lost to 'Navalny'.

Indian film The Elephant Whisperers wins Academy Award for Best Documentary Short

Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga’s Netflix documentary short, The Elephant Whisperers, has won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short category at the 95th Academy Awards. The film was competing against Haulout, How Do You Measure a Year?, The Martha Mitchell Effect and Stranger At The Gate. Director Gonzalves dedicated the award to ‘my motherland, India’. Guneet, in an Instagram post, wrote, “Tonight is historic as this is the first ever Oscar for an Indian production…”

Produced by Achin Jain and Guneet Monga, and directed by Kartiki Gonsalves, the 41-minute short follows the family from Tamil Nadu’s Mudumalai Tiger Reserve who end up adopting two orphan baby elephants. What was special about this India short was that it happened to be filmmaker Gonsalves’ directorial debut.