News Burger - Your Weekly Prep Diet - Week #3 (March)

This week's News Burger is:

1. India Is The Top Weapons Importer:
   According to a study by Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), India accounts for 12% of the total global imports in the past 5 years.
   Russia is India's biggest arms supplier, followed by USA and Israel.
2. PM Modi To Inaugurate Boxer Mary Kom's Academy:
   The 'Mary Kom Regional Boxing Foundation' has been established by 5-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist Mary Kom. Boxer Vijender Kumar and wrestler Sushil Kumar will be present at the inauguration of the Foundation which is approximately 10 kilometres from Imphal.
3. Finance Bill Passed In Lok Sabha:
   After the passing of the Finance Bill and Appropriation Bill, the budget exercise has been completed.
   The event faced heat from the opposition and general public, as the bill was passed without any opposition and within a span of 30 minutes.
4. Belgaum Has India's Tallest Flag:
   The flag measures 9,600 sq.ft  on a 110 m flag-pole. The second tallest flag is in Pune (107 m), and the third tallest flag is on the Indo-Pak border (105 m).
5. Stephen Hawking Passes Away:
   The British Physicist passed away at the age of 76.
   A brief biography of Stephen Hawking:
   a) At the age of 22, Hawking was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), which paralysed him. He used his cheek muscles to operate a speech-generating device that was developed in Cambridge.
   b) He was inducted into the Royal Society in 1974, and in 1979 was appointed as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, the world's most famous academic chair previously held by Sir Isaac Newton.
   c) He published his first book in 1988 titled, "A Brief History of Time", in which he explains the origins of the Universe in simple terms.
   d) Hawking made several TV appearances, such as in The Big Bang Theory by CBS, Star Trek - The Next Generation.
   e) Hawking is most famous for his theory on black holes, and the "Hawking Radiations" they emit.
6. Nepal President's Term Extended By 5 Years:
   Nepalese President Bidhya Devi Bhandar has been re-elected as the nation's President.
   She is the first woman to hold this position in the country's history.
7. Indian Football Team Back In Top 100:
   India ranks 99th in the top-100 footballing nations, jointly with Jordan.
   The German National Team and 2014 World Cup Winners remained at the top, followed by Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Belgium, Poland and Spain.
8. New Delhi And Bangalore Some Of The Cheapest Cities In The World:
   According to The Economist Intelligence Unit’s report which considered 133 global cities, Bangalore is the 5th cheapest city in the world, while Chennai is the 8th cheapest and New Delhi is the 10th cheapest.
   Singapore is the world's most expensive city, followed by Paris, Zurich and Hong Kong.
9. Finland Is The Happiest Country In The World:
   According to a report by the United Nations, the Nordic country was voted as the happiest country in the world.
   4 Nordic countries have topped the list this year and generally do well in the Happiness Index.
   Burundi was rated as the least happy.
   In related news - A study shows that Finland also showed the highest level of happiness amongst immigrants.
10. German President To Visit India:
    German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will visit India next week, from 22nd to 25th March. On his visit, Steinmeier will visit Chennai and Varanasi.
11. Jack-Fruit To Be Kerala's State Fruit:
    Kerala's state-fruit is going to be Jackfruit from 21st March onwards. Agriculture Minister said that the move was done to increase the sales of Jackfruit and its products.
12. Maharashtra Bans Plastic:
    The Maharashtra Government, on 18th March, banned the use of plastic in the state and announced a Rs. 25,000 fine and 3-year jail term for offenders. However, plastic covers of manufactured products will be exempt from the rule.
    In related news - Maharashtra produces the maximum amount of bio-medical waste in the country, producing over 70,000 kgs in 2016. It is followed by Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
13. Arunachal Pradesh Declares Death Penalty For Raping Minors:
    Very recently, Rajasthan has also declared the same fate for offenders. Madhya Pradesh and Haryana have similar laws in place as well.
14. Xi-Jinping Gets Another Term As President Of China:
    This will be the last time that the Chinese President takes oath in office, as he is all set to be the country's President for life. This comes after the Chinese constitution was amended to lift any restrictions on the number of years Xi Jinping would be in the Presidential office.
    Xi's advisor, Wang Qishan (who led his anti-corruption campaign), was appointed as the Vice President of the nation.
    In related news - Chinese PM Li Keqiang has been re-elected as for his second term as Prime Minister.
15. UN Issues Appeal For Rohingyas:
    The UN has issued an appeal for almost a billion dollars ($951 Million) to support the Rohingya population. The UN High Commissioner for Refugee, Filippo Grandi, also launched the Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya crisis.
16. Indian Paralympian Becomes Asian Rank No.1 :
    Deepa Malik has become rank one in the F-53 category. After her performance in the Dubai World Para Athletics Grand Prix, she has also qualified for the Asian Para Games that will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia in the month of October.
    Deepa is also the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Paralympics.
17. Sri Lanka Lifts Nationwide State Emergency:
    President Maithripala Sirisena announced that the State Emergency was being lifted, even from social media.
    Sri Lankan government declared a state of emergency after communal violence in the country's Kandy region. The riots took place when Sinhalese-Buddhist extremists (who believe Muslims are forcing people to convert to Islam) burnt Muslim shops and vehicles. 2 people were killed in the riots. The Sri Lankan police have detained 300 people for the incident.
18. Mt. Everest Clean Up Drive Initiated:
    The campaign aims to airlift 100 tonnes of waste from the highest peak in the world. On its very first day, 1200 kgs of waste (left behind by tourists and climbers) was airlifted. The waste includes oxygen cans, beer bottles, beverage cans, food packets etc.
19. Kevin Pietersen Retires From All Forms Of Cricket:
    The former England cricketer has 8181 runs in 104 test matches, 4440 runs in 136 ODIs.
20. Chennayin FC Wins 2nd ISL Title:
    The football club beat Bengaluru FC 3-2 in the finals of Hero Indian Super League 2018. The team is the most successful in the ISL, along with Atletico De Kolkata.
    In related news - John Gregory's (current coach of Chennayin FC and former coach of Aston Villa FC of the English Premier League) contract has been extended by one year at the club.
21. Duterte Withdraws Philippines From ICC:
    Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has announced the withdrawal of the country from the International Criminal Court after it began investigations into Duterte's war on drugs.
    What is the war on drugs in the Philippines?
    a) Drugs had been rampant in the Philippines until Rodrigo Duterte came into power in 2016.
    b) Since then, over 20,000 people have been killed by the Duterte government if they were found linked to drugs.
    c) There have been numerous reports of the police killing teenagers, children and even those who have surrendered. According to an Al Jazeera report, President Duterte also allegedly granted citizens permission to kill anyone who they feel is indulging in drugs-related activity.
    d) According to reports by the Duterte government, 118,287 drug personalities have been arrested, and 1,308,078 offenders have surrendered.
    e) The country's opposition has been demanding a probe by the United Nations.
22. FIFA Lift 30-Year Ban On Iraq:
    Due to active terrorism in the country, FIFA had banned Iraq from hosting International Matches for over 30 years.
    Even now, FIFA has not lifted the ban for the country's capital Baghdad.
23. NASA To Build Protective Spacecraft:
    NASA has planned to build a nuclear spacecraft that can blow up dangerous objects heading towards Earth. The spacecraft will be named Hypervelocity Asteroid Mitigation Mission For Emergency (HAMMER) and will weigh 8-tonnes.
24.  Sony India Appoints Sunil Nayyar as Managing Director:
    He will replace Kenichiro Hibi, who has held this position for 6 years and will now be the head for Sony Brazil.
    Sunil Nayyar is an IMT Ghaziabad alumnus.
25. Vladimir Putin Wins 4th Term As President:
    He will be the President for 6 more years, after winning over 75% of the votes. He beat his rival Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin.
    Why is Putin so popular?
     a) Vladimir Putin has the reputation of "the saviour of Mother Russia" from the Oligarchs, with television news reiterating his achievements in his tenure as President.
    b) Forbes magazine has also named him multiple times as "The Most Powerful Person In The World". He is praised by Russians for the unification of Crimea and the war against ISIS in Syria.
    c) Russia's alleged role in the 2016 US Elections has also been received positively, as some Russians believe that "Russia is so powerful that now it decides who sits in the Oval Office".
    d) Putin also reiterates his Military strength, recently announcing a hyper-velocity missile and talking about his defence plans and foreign policies.
    e) Putin canned food, Putinka Vodka, Gorbusha Putina caviar and Putin T-shirts are sold across the country, making the Russian leader even more popular.

Read the News Burger for the 1st Week of March and 2nd Week of March.

Which news item did you find the most interesting?
Have some thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!