second G20 meeting of Finance Ministers

second G20 meeting of Finance Ministers

the 2nd Extraordinary G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting under the Saudi Arabian Presidency was conducted

G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors during the 1st Extraordinary Virtual G20 FMCBG Meeting held on March 23 had decided to meet virtually on a regular basis to continue discussions  impact on markets and economic conditions and take further actions to support the economy

 

ITTF suspended events till June 30, freezes world rankings

ITTF suspended events till June 30, freezes world rankings

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has suspended all planned events till June 30 and froze the world rankings 


The ITTF said in a statement that due to the continued uncertainty  and postponement of Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympics Games, the Executive Committee decided to suspend all currently planned ITTF events and activities that involve international travel until 30th of June.

ITTF also decided to freeze ranking lists as of March, 2020 and further evaluate all implications related to the postponement of events, travel restrictions and other complications, with scope for further decisions on potentially necessary adjustments.

The Federation will hold another follow-up meeting on 15th April to further evaluate the situation.

World has Entered Recession

World has Entered Recession

International Monetary Fund, IMF, has said that the world   has clearly entered a recession.

However, it projected a recovery next year.

Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said that IMF has reassessed the prospects for growth for 2020 and 2021.

It said that the current recession is as bad or worse than in 2009.

She said that the recovery in 2021 will only be possible

India and France conduct joint patrols for the first time

India and France conduct joint patrols for the first time

India and France, For the first time, have conducted joint patrols from the Reunion Island, signalling New Delhi's intent to engage with friendly foreign partners in expanding its footprint in the Indian Ocean, focusing on the stretch between the East African coastline and the Malacca straits.

India has so far carried out Coordinated Patrols (CORPAT) only with maritime neighbours and had rejected a similar offer by the US.

US launches advanced satellite for communication

US launches advanced satellite for communication

US launches advanced satellite in 1st Space Force national security mission

The AEHF-6 satellite will round out a next-gen military communications constellation.

The rocket,  was launched from the pad from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

Tokyo Olympics postponed to 2021

Tokyo Olympics postponed to 2021

Japan's Prime Minister and the head of the International Olympic Committee Shinzo Abe today agreed to postpone the Tokyo 2020 Games by a year

The Olympics,   has been held every four years since 1948

the Games were scheduled to start on July 24 2020

World Tuberculosis Day,

World Tuberculosis Day,

World Tuberculosis Day, observed on 24 March each year, is designed to build public awareness about the global epidemic of tuberculosis and efforts to eliminate the disease.

In 2012, 8.6 million people fell ill with TB, and 1.3 million died from the disease, mostly in low and middle-income countries

 The day is observed to commemorate the anniversary of Dr. Robert Koch’s discovery of the TB bacteria in 1882.

The theme of World TB Day 2020 - ‘It’s time’ - puts the accent on the urgency to act on the commitments made by global leaders to scale up access to prevention and treatment, build accountability, ensure sufficient and sustainable financing including for research, promote an end to stigma and discrimination, and promote an equitable, rights-based and people-centered TB response.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a joint initiative “Find. Treat. All. #EndTB”

Legendary country music singer Kenny Rogers

Legendary country music singer Kenny Rogers

Kenneth Donald Rogers was an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and entrepreneur. He was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013.

Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted more than 120 hit singles across various music genres, and topped the country and pop album charts for more than 200 individual weeks in the United States alone.

He sold over 100 million records worldwide during his lifetime, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time

His fame and career spanned multiple genres: jazz, folk, pop, rock, and country. He remade his career, and was one of the most successful cross-over artists of all time

In a career spanning six decades, Rogers won three Grammys and six CMA Awards.

Lorenzo Sanz

Lorenzo Sanz

Lorenzo Sanz Mancebo was a Spanish businessman who was the president of Real Madrid between 1995 and 2000, and owner of Málaga CF.

Born on 9 August 1943 in Madrid, Spain, Sanz played as a goalkeeper in his youth for several minor Madrilenian league teams, including Puerta Bonita

Sanz was a director of Real Madrid from 1985 to 1995. He then became president of Real Madrid on 26 November 1995 after Ramón Mendoza resigned

under his presidentship Real madrid won  long-awaited European Cup ,which Real Madrid had not won since 1966, as the club won both the 1998 and 2000 finals

World Down Syndrome Day

World Down Syndrome Day

World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) is marked each year on March 21   beginning in 2006.

The 21st day of March (the 3rd month of the year) was selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down syndrome

In December 2011, the General Assembly declared 21 March as World Down Syndrome Day (A/RES/66/149). The General Assembly decided, with effect from 2012, to observe World Down Syndrome Day on 21 March each year.

International Day of Forests

International Day of Forests

The International Day of Forests was established on the 21st day of March, by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on November 28, 2012

 Each year, various events celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests, and trees outside forests, for the benefit of current and future generations

Countries are encouraged to undertake efforts to organize local, national, and international activities involving forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns, on International Day of Forests.

The Secretariat of the United Nations Forum on Forests, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization, facilitates the implementation of such events in collaboration with governments, the Collaborative Partnership on Forests, and international, regional and subregional organizations

international Day of Forests was observed for the first time on March 21, 2013.

Greece handed over Olympic flame to Tokyo 2020 organisers

Greece handed over Olympic flame to Tokyo 2020 organisers

Greece has handed over the Olympic flame to Tokyo 2020 organisers at an event which was 'significantly scaled-down' due to coronavirus pandemic.

The ceremony, which took place at Athens' iconic Panathenaic stadium, did not include the planned cultural ceremonies from Greece or Japan.

Hellenic Olympic Committee President Spyros Capralos handed the torch over to the Tokyo Organising committee represented by Naoko Imoto, who lit the lantern and left with it.

The Tokyo Olympic games are slated to be held from July 24 to August 9.

Iraqi President Barham Salih has appointed Adnan al-Zurfi as the country's new prime minister-designate

Iraqi President Barham Salih has appointed Adnan al-Zurfi as the country's new prime minister-designate

Iraqi President Barham Salih has appointed Adnan al-Zurfi as the country's new prime minister-designate in the latest bid to resolve a months-long political crisis.

Al-Zurfi has 30 days to form his cabinet which he must then put to a vote of confidence in Iraq's Parliament.

Al-Zurfi's appointment came two weeks after former Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi withdrew his candidacy for the post

Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in Western Asia, bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, Kuwait to the southeast, Saudi Arabia to the south, Jordan to the southwest and Syria to the west. The capital, and largest city, is Baghdad.

Capital: Baghdad
Currency: Iraqi dinar
President: Barham Salih

Saudi Arabia to convene virtual G-20 Leaders’ Summit next week

Saudi Arabia to convene virtual G-20 Leaders’ Summit next week

Saudi Arabia, which is presently in chair, has proposed to convene an extraordinary virtual G-20 Leaders’ Summit next week

 G-20 Leaders will put forward a coordinated set of policies to protect people and safeguard the global economy.

The Summit will build on the ongoing efforts of the G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors, senior health, trade, and foreign affairs officials, to further develop the precise requirements and actions needed.

 

India to provide 107.01 million Nepali Rupees for three new school buildings in Nepal

India to provide 107.01 million Nepali Rupees for three new school buildings in Nepal

The Government of India will provide 107.01 million Nepali Rupees for three new school buildings in Nepal.

The schools will be constructed in Darchula, Dhanusha and Kapilvastu districts.

The Embassy of India and Nepal’s Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration signed Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with Mahakali Municipality, Darchula and Mukhiyapatti Musharniya Rural Municipality, Dhanusha in Kathmandu for the construction of two new school buildings.

These schools will be built under the India-Nepal Development Partnership program at a total estimated cost of 73.96 million Nepali Rupees.

The new infrastructure will be used by Shree Malikarjun Higher Secondary School at Dhap in Darchula district and Baidyanath Devnarayan Public Higher Secondary School at Tulsiyahi in Dhanusha district.

 

US Federal Reserve slashes key interest rate to zero

US Federal Reserve slashes key interest rate to zero

The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a full percentage point and launched a package of programs in an unscheduled move Sunday evening to help address problems on Wall Street

The Fed  declared a $700 billion quantitative easing program ,

The moves come just days ahead of the Fed's two-day policy meeting, scheduled to begin March 17.

The action's taken by the Fed marks the second emergency action in about two weeks after the central bank cut interest rates by a half-a-percentage point on March 3, then representing its first emergency rate cut since the 2008 financial crisis.

The central bank also launched a dollar-swap plan in coordination with the Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan, the European Central Bank and the Swiss National Bank, intended to enhance liquidity in the U.S. dollar DXY, -0.642%, which had been weakening over the viral outbreak in the past 30 days, down 0.4%.

Achanta Sharath Kamal clinches men's singles title of Oman Open

Achanta Sharath Kamal clinches men's singles title of Oman Open

Ace Indian paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal wins the ITTF Challenger Plus Oman Open.

The 37-year-old Indian veteran beat top-seeded Marcos Freitas of Portugal 4-2 in the final played in Muscat on Sunday evening.

Earlier, in the semi-final today, fourth-seeded Achanta pulled off a stunning seven-set victory against Russia's Kirill Skachkov, 11-13, 11-13, 13-11, 11-9, 13-11, 8-11, 11-7.

India's forex reserves rise 5.69 bn to 487.23 bn

India's forex reserves rise 5.69 bn to 487.23 bn

India's foreign exchange swelled by 5.69 billion US dollars to reach an all-time high of 487.23 billion dollars in the week ended 6th March 2020

An RBI release said, foreign currency assets, a major part of the overall reserves rose by 5.311 billion dollars to 451.135 billion dollars

In the previous week, the reserves had surged by 5.419 billion dollars to 481.540 billion dollars

Gold reserves also increased by 320 million dollars to 31 billion dollars

India's special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund went up by 15 million dollars to 1.447 billion dollars, while the country's reserve position also increased by 50 million dollars to 3.656 billion dollars.

World Consumer Rights Day

World Consumer Rights Day

World Consumer Rights Day is an annual occasion for celebration and solidarity within the international consumer movement.

Participants observe the day by promoting the basic rights of all consumers, demanding that those rights are respected and protected, and protesting about the market abuses and social injustices which undermine them.

World Consumer Rights Day is celebrated on 15 March every year.

The theme for 2020 will be "The Sustainable Consumer" to spread awareness about environmental breakdown and global climate changes.

Ashraf Ghani sworn in as Afghanistan President for second term

Ashraf Ghani sworn in as Afghanistan President for second term

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani was sworn in for a second term

The oath-taking ceremony of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was attended by visiting foreign dignitaries, diplomats and senior political figures.

Ghani was declared as the winner of the election held last September

Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai is an Afghan politician who is serving as the President of Afghanistan, elected on 21 September 2014 and re-elected on 9 March 2020.

Afghanistan, is a landlocked country in Asia. 

Capital: Kabul
Currency: Afghan afghani
Official languages: Pashto, Dari

UN Member States agree to fully implement the Beijing Declaration on gender equality

 UN  Member States agree to fully implement the Beijing Declaration on gender equality

In a Political Declaration adopted today by Member States commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995, leaders pledged to ramp up efforts to fully implement the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, still considered the most visionary blueprint on women’s rights.

The Political Declaration is the main outcome of the 64th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the largest annual gathering on gender equality and the empowerment of women at the UN.

This year’s session focused entirely on the review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

 

2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup

2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup

The 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup was the seventh ICC Women's T20 World Cup tournament.

It was held in Australia between 21 February and 8 March 2020.

The final took place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on International Women's Day.

Hosts Australia won the tournament, beating India by 85 runs, to win their fifth title

It was a standalone tournament, held eight months ahead of the men's tournament.

 Australia were the defending champions

Indian Scientists develop Fuel Cell Technology for Disaster Management

Indian Scientists develop Fuel Cell Technology for Disaster Management

Scientists at International Advanced Research for Powder Metallurgy & New Materials (ARCI), Hyderabad, an autonomous R&D Centre of Department of Science and Technology (DST) have developed Polymer Electrolyte Membrane fuel cells (PEMFC).

PEMFC, in its entireness, have an advantage of operational capability at low-temperatures with applications in decentralised power generation systems.

Through intense R&D efforts in the area of fuel cell technologies, ARCI at its Centre for Fuel Cell Technology, Chennai has developed in-house PEMFC systems in the power range of 1 to 20 kiloWatt (kW) and demonstrated the same in stationary (1-20 kW) and transport applications (1,3,5 kW).

Emergency Operation Centres (EOC) backed with 10 kW system along with fuel cell stack (providing sustainable electricity using hydrogen gas without the need of grid power), air moving sub systems, power control devices and control and monitoring system is being planned as a natural disaster management measure.

ARCI is now planning to set up a PEMFC system up to 10 kW capacity at Tamil Nadu State Emergency Operation Centre (TN SEOC) to operate the systems like early warning systems, VHF set, IP phone, BSNL Ethernet and office equipment like scanner, computers, printers, phone, FAX and normal requirements like lighting and fan.

International Women's Day

International Women's Day

International Women's Day  is celebrated on the 8th of March every year around the world.

It is a focal point in the movement for women's rights.

The United Nations began celebrating International Women's Day in the International Women's Year, 1975. In 1977, the United Nations General Assembly invited member states to proclaim March 8 as the UN Day for women's rights and world peace

The UN theme for International Women's Day was: 'I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights'.

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer announced his retirement

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer announced his retirement

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in Mumbai today.

The 42-year-old Jaffer had amassed a mountain of runs in a glorious first-class career that spanned almost a quarter-century.

The Mumbaikar leaves the scene as the only batsman to score 12,000 runs in Ranji Trophy and he also has the highest number of first-class hundreds to his name.

Internationally, Jaffer played 31 Tests, scoring 1,944 runs at an average of 34.11. Besides five tons, he has 11 fifties in the highest format of the game, with 212 being his best.

Scientists identify bacteria that can replace fertilizers, fungicides in tea plants

Scientists identify bacteria that can replace fertilizers, fungicides in tea plants

Indian scientists have come up with a solution to reduce the use of such chemicals in tea plantations.

Researchers at Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST) Guwahati, an autonomous institute under Department of Science & Technology, have found significant plant-growth-promoting and antifungal activities of endophyticactino bacteria associated with Tea plant and related genera, Eurya to find potent plant growth-promoting strains. Application of endophytic Actinobacteria could reduce chemical inputs in Tea plantation.

Out of 46 isolates, 21 isolates inhibited the growth of at least one test fungal phytopathogens and strains SA25 and SA29 exhibited broad-spectrum antifungal activity.


The present study attempts the use of endophyticactino bacteria having plant beneficial characteristics to reduce and replace the use of chemical inputs in the tea industry.

Former UN Chief Javier Perez de Cuellar

Former UN Chief Javier Perez de Cuellar

Javier Felipe Ricardo Pérez de Cuéllar y de la Guerra KCMG was a Peruvian politician and diplomat who served as the fifth Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1, 1982 to December 31, 1991.

 he was Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs from November 2000 until July 2001

He was also a member of the Club de Madrid, a group of more than 100 former Presidents and Prime Ministers of democratic countries, which works to strengthen democracy worldwide.

Peru is a country in South America that's home to a section of Amazon rainforest and Machu Picchu, an ancient Incan city high in the Andes mountains.

Capital: Lima
Co-official languages: Quechua; Aymara; Other indigenous languages
Currency: Sol

Shafali Verma at top spot in ICC women's T20I rankings

Shafali Verma at top spot in ICC women's T20I rankings

Shafali Verma, the teenage Indian batting sensation, has gained the top spot in the ICC women's T20 International rankings, riding on her stellar run at the ongoing World Cup.

She has become only the second India batter after Mithali Raj to top the women's T20 International rankings, according to an ICC statement.

 The 16-year-old Shafali has replaced New Zealand's Suzie Bates, who had been at the top of batting charts since October 2018.

During the ongoing ICC Women's T20 World Cup, Shafali has scored 161 runs in four innings demonstrating an explosive batting performance at the top of the order.

 Another Indian Smriti Mandhana has slipped a couple of places to sixth rank in the latest list.

Among the Indian bowlers, Poonam Yadav moved up four places, to eighth rank, after a good run in the ongoing World Cup.

In the all-rounders' rankings, India's Deepti Sharma has advanced nine places to seventh rank, the first time that she is among the top 10 in the all-rounders' list.

FIH rankings

FIH rankings

The Indian men's hockey team has climbed to the fourth position, their highest since the inception of the FIH world rankings in 2003, in the recently released chart.

India's excellent form in the first three rounds of the second edition of FIH Hockey Pro-League has seen them move from fifth to the fourth position. India's rise comes at the expense of Olympic champions Argentina, who dropped to fifth place.

World champions Belgium remains in pole position, with Australia 2nd and the Netherlands 3rd also holding their positions in the top three. Germany and England remain in sixth and seventh positions, while New Zealand is static at the eighth place after briefly dropping below Spain to ninth last month. 

In the women's list, India occupies the ninth spot. The Netherlands is at the top followed by Australia, Argentina, Germany and England.

The new model for calculating the FIH world rankings was introduced on the 1st of January, 2020.
 

World Wildlife Day

World Wildlife Day

proclaim 3 March, the day of the adoption of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1973, as World Wildlife Day, which was proposed by Thailand,[1] to celebrate and raise awareness of the world's wild fauna and flora.

The theme for this year is "Sustaining all life on earth".

The year is significant on two counts.

 It has been announced as bio-diversity super year because of the large number of eco friendly initiatives being taken the world over.

The year 2020 is specially significant to India because it has taken over as the President of CoP13 for Action Against Climate Change.

Rajeev Suri to step down as Nokia CEO; Pekka Lundmark will take over

Rajeev Suri to step down as Nokia CEO; Pekka Lundmark will take over

Rajeev Suri, the chief executive of Nokia, is stepping down from his leadership role after overseeing the Finnish networking giant for more than half a decade.

Pekka Lundmark, the outgoing President and CEO of energy firm Fortum, has been elected as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Nokia

Rajeev Suri was an Indian–Singaporean business executive and the CEO of Nokia.

Before the current assignment in May 2016, he was the CEO of Nokia Solutions and Networks from 2015 and held various positions in Nokia since 1995

Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics company, founded in 1865. Nokia's headquarters are in Espoo, in the greater Helsinki metropolitan area.

Headquarters: Espoo, Finland
Founded: 12 May 1865
Founders: Fredrik Idestam, Leo Mechelin

Muhyiddin Yassin sworn in as Malaysia's new Prime Minister

Muhyiddin Yassin sworn in as Malaysia's new Prime Minister

In Malaysia, newly appointed Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yasin took the oath of office this morning.

The swearing-in ceremony was held at the national palace in Kuala Lumpur.

Muhyiddin bin Haji Muhammad Yassin is a Malaysian politician, currently serving as the Prime Minister of Malaysia.