Current Affairs 9th March 2015

Current Affairs 9th March 2015 - Important Points

• Who had bulldozed ancient city of Nimrud in Iraq - Islamic State Group

• Name the Spacecraft which completed its Orbit around Dwarf Planet Ceres - NASA's Dawn Spacecraft

• Who has launched the Women’s Safety App iSafe for Thiruvananthapuram City Police - UST Global

• Which day is observed on 8th March - International Women’s Day

• In which state Aapki Beti Humari Beti scheme was launched - Haryana

Current Affairs 9th March 2015 - Details

Who had bulldozed ancient city of Nimrud in Iraq - Islamic State Group

On 6th March 2015, Ancient city of Nimrud in Iraq was bulldozed by Islamic State (IS) militant group. Nimrud overlooking the Tigris River was founded in the 13th century BC and was considered the jewel of the Assyrian era. In the 19th century the stunning reliefs and colossal statues of winged bulls with human heads guarding palace gates filled the world’s museums. A collection of 613 pieces of ornaments, gold jewellery and precious stones discovered in a royal tomb in 1988 has been described as one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century.

This latest attack on Iraqi cultural treasure has been described as a war crime by United Nations (UN). The head of the UN’s cultural body UNESCO, Irina Bokova, criticized the destruction of Nimrud with the strongest force. Nimrud is the latest victim of what appears to be a systematic campaign by the Jihadists to obliterate Iraq’s rich heritage.

Name the Spacecraft which completed its Orbit around Dwarf Planet Ceres - NASA's Dawn Spacecraft

On 6th March 2015, NASA's Dawn spacecraft completed its Orbit around Dwarf Planet Ceres and became the first spacecraft to orbit around a dwarf planet. The spacecraft was about 38000 miles (61000 kilometers) away from planet Ceres when it was captured by the dwarf planet’s gravity.

Dawn also has the contrast of being the first mission to orbit two extraterrestrial goals. The spacecraft explored the giant asteroid Vesta from 2011 to 2012, delivering thousands of images and new insights from that distant world.

About Dawn's Mission

• Dawn's mission is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
• Dawn is a assignment of the directorate's Discovery Program, led by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The charge for overall Dawn mission science is in hands of University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
• Italian Space Agency, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Italian National Astrophysical Institute and The German Aerospace Center are international partners on the mission team.

Who has launched the Women’s Safety App iSafe for Thiruvananthapuram City Police - UST Global

On 6th March 2015, UST Global has launched women safety App iSafe. It is an app for women’s safety and is based on mobile. The app was launched before the International Women’s Day. The App was launched in the presence of high ranking police and other government officials at the Government College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram for the Thiruvananthapuram City Police.

Through the app, women will be able to send instant alerts to the police control room by using the panic button or just by the long press of volume rocker (down) key of their mobile. The police control room will receive the alert along with information of the IMEI number of the mobile, location and the subscriber ID.Immediately after the alert the police will dispatc help via the police CRV (Control Room Vehicle) that is nearest to the distress location.

The position can be viewed by police at the control room and also on App. The App iSafe is an fundamental part of the earlier app that UST Global had developed for Thiruvananthapuram City Police. Currently, the app is available for Android and will soon be available on other platforms.

Which day is observed on 8th March - International Women’s Day

On 8th March 2015, International Women’s Day was observed worldwide. Make It Happen was the theme for our 2015 international womens day, encouraging effective action for recognising and advancing women. The theme was declared by United Nations. The day represents an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women while calling for greater equality.

The day sees several events to mark the political, economic and social achievements of women. These events are organised by educational institutions, governments, charities, women's groups, media, corporation and other institutions.

In which state Aapki Beti Humari Beti scheme was launched - Haryana

On 8th March 2015, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar launched a scheme for girl child - Aapki Beti Humari Beti to combat the problem of declining child sex ratio in the state.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day the scheme was launched at a state-level function at Panchkula. CM Lal Khattar launched the scheme by giving away a cheque of 21000 rupees each to mothers of six female children born on or after 22 January 2015.

Characteristics of the Scheme

• According to the scheme, the first girl child born on or after 22 January 2015 in Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Schedule Caste (SC) families will be eligible to receive 21000 rupees.
• The second girl child born on or after 22 January 2015 of all families will also receive the same amount.
• Families where twin girl child are born will also get 21000 rupees per girl child.
• The Scheme will be applied in both urban and rural areas of the state covering first-born girl child of SC and BPL families all second girl child born on or after 22 January 2015 of all families.