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Current affairs / 2024 / March 2024

Current affairs — March 2024

15 exam-relevant headlines, written simply. Read the bold fact in each — that's what exams ask.

2024-03-04international

Shehbaz Sharif sworn in as Pakistan PM again

Shehbaz Sharif was elected Pakistan's Prime Minister for a second term on March 3-4, 2024, winning 201 votes against 92 for the PTI-backed Omar Ayub Khan - the first person to hold the premiership in two consecutive terms.

  • 📌 Second term as PM
  • 📌 Won 201 votes in the National Assembly
2024-03-07international

Sweden joins NATO as its 32nd member

Sweden formally became NATO's 32nd member on March 7, 2024, ending about 200 years of military non-alignment, after Hungary became the last member to ratify its accession.

  • 📌 32nd NATO member
  • 📌 Joined: March 7, 2024
2024-03-09national

Election Commissioner Arun Goel resigns

Election Commissioner Arun Goel resigned on March 9, 2024, days before the announcement of the Lok Sabha election schedule, leaving the Election Commission with only Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar.

  • 📌 Post: Election Commissioner
  • 📌 Resigned ahead of the 2024 general election
2024-03-09international

Miss World pageant held in Mumbai

The 71st Miss World pageant was held at the Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai on March 9, 2024 - India hosting it for the second time after 1996. Krystyna Pyszkova of the Czech Republic won, with Lebanon's Yasmina Zaytoun runner-up.

  • 📌 Winner: Krystyna Pyszkova (Czech Republic)
  • 📌 Venue: Mumbai
2024-03-10awards

Oscars 2024: 'Oppenheimer' dominates with 7 awards

Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer' won 7 Oscars including Best Picture at the 96th Academy Awards on March 10, 2024. Cillian Murphy won Best Actor, Emma Stone Best Actress, and Robert Downey Jr. Best Supporting Actor.

  • 📌 Best Picture: Oppenheimer (7 Oscars)
  • 📌 Best Actor: Cillian Murphy
  • 📌 Best Actress: Emma Stone
2024-03-11national

Centre notifies CAA rules

The Union government notified the rules for implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act on March 11, 2024, enabling citizenship for persecuted minorities of six communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh who entered India before 2015.

  • 📌 CAA rules notified: March 11, 2024
  • 📌 Covers migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh
2024-03-11defence

Mission Divyastra: Agni-5 tested with MIRV technology

India test-fired Agni-5 with Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology under 'Mission Divyastra' on March 11, 2024, one missile carrying several warheads that can hit separate targets.

  • 📌 Test: March 11, 2024
  • 📌 MIRV = multiple warheads, separate targets
  • 📌 Developed by DRDO
2024-03-12national

SBI discloses electoral bonds data

After the Supreme Court rejected its plea to delay disclosure till June 30, the State Bank of India submitted electoral bonds data to the Election Commission on March 12, 2024; the poll panel published it on March 14.

  • 📌 Disclosure to Election Commission
  • 📌 Published: March 14, 2024
2024-03-13international

EU Parliament adopts world's first AI law

The European Parliament adopted the EU Artificial Intelligence Act on March 13, 2024 - the world's first comprehensive AI law, using a risk-based approach that bans unacceptable-risk uses like social scoring. It entered into force on August 1, 2024.

  • 📌 Adopted: March 13, 2024
  • 📌 Risk-based regulation
  • 📌 In force: August 1, 2024
2024-03-15international

Putin re-elected with record 88% in Russia

Vladimir Putin won the March 15-17, 2024 Russian presidential election with a record 88.48% of votes, securing a fifth term, the highest share for any presidential winner in post-Soviet Russia.

  • 📌 Vote share: 88.48%
  • 📌 Fifth presidential term
2024-03-16national

Lok Sabha election schedule announced

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced the schedule for the 18th Lok Sabha election on March 16, 2024 - a seven-phase poll from April 19 to June 1, with counting on June 4.

  • 📌 Announced: March 16, 2024
  • 📌 Seven phases; results June 4
2024-03-21national

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal arrested

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21, 2024 in connection with the Delhi excise policy money-laundering case - the first sitting CM arrested while in office.

  • 📌 Agency: Enforcement Directorate
  • 📌 Case: excise policy money-laundering
2024-03-22international

Deadly concert hall attack near Moscow

Gunmen attacked the Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow on March 22, 2024, killing 151 people - Russia's deadliest attack since the 2004 Beslan siege. The Islamic State's Khorasan branch (ISIS-K) was blamed.

  • 📌 Deaths: 151
  • 📌 Blamed on ISIS-K
  • 📌 Deadliest attack since Beslan 2004
2024-03-22sports

IPL 2024 season begins

The IPL 2024 season opened on March 22, 2024 with Chennai Super Kings beating Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 6 wickets at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. The season had 74 matches, with the final also in Chennai on May 26.

  • 📌 Opening match: CSK beat RCB by 6 wickets
  • 📌 74 matches
2024-03-26national

Sonam Wangchuk ends 21-day hunger strike for Ladakh

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 21-day hunger strike on March 26, 2024, which had demanded statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule.

  • 📌 Demands: statehood, Sixth Schedule for Ladakh
  • 📌 Strike length: 21 days

March 2024 quiz — 10 questions

From exactly the headlines above. If you read the month, you should score 8+.

Topic test · 10 questions

Suggested time 3 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.