Daily Current Affairs, 16th March 2019

1) Climate Vulnerability Index Highest For Assam And Mizoram

•Indian scientists have developed a common framework for the assessment of climate change vulnerability in all the states in the Himalayan region. The assessment shows that the vulnerability index is the highest for Assam (0.72) and Mizoram (0.71).

•Sikkim is the least vulnerable state with the index being 0.42. Professor NH Ravindranath from IISc, Bangalore, stated that the framework can be applied to states in the rest of the country as well, with suitable modifications.

2) Amitabh Kant To Head Transformative Mobility Panel

•Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant will head the National Mission on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage, which is being set up to promote clean and sustainable mobility initiatives in the country.

•The terms of reference of the mission include ensuring implementation and compliance of the decisions and recommendations of the steering committee.

3) Vienna Topped The Mercer’s Quality Of Living Survey 2019

•The human resource consulting firm, Mercer’s annual Quality of Living Survey 2019has placed Austria’s capital city Vienna at the number 1 spot, making it the 10th year in a row. The only cities outside of Europe to make the top 10 list are Vancouver, Canada, and Auckland, New Zealand.

•The Economist Intelligence Unit had also given Vienna the top spot in its ranking of the world’s most liveable cities in 2018. Hyderabad and Pune, at a rank of 143, continue to be the most liveable cities in India for expatriates.

•Top 3 cities in the list:
1.Vienna, Austria
2.Zürich, Switzerland
3.Vancouver, Canada; Munich, Germany; Auckland, New Zealand (tie).

4) UN Releases Global Environment Outlook 2019 Report

•The United Nation Environment Program (UNEP) has released the sixth edition of the Global Environment Outlook (2019) titled ‘Healthy Planet, Healthy People’.

•The report calls on the decision makers to take immediate action to address pressing environmental issues to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals as well as other internationally agreed environment goals, such as the Paris Agreement.

5) Santosh Jha Appointed As The Next Ambassador Of India To The Republic Of Uzbekistan

•Santosh Jha presently Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India, Washington, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Uzbekistan. A press release from the Ministry of External Affairs stated that Jha, an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 1993 batch, was expected to take up the assignment shortly.

6) India To Host U-17 Women’s Football World Cup In 2020

•India will host the Under-17 Women’s Football World Cup in 2020. This was announced by the President of International Football Federation (FIFA) Gianni Infantinoafter the council meeting in Miami, USA. This will be the second FIFA tournament India will be hosting, after the U-17 Men’s World Cup in 2017.