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.

Rafael Nadal won Mexican Open title after beating Taylor Fritz

Rafael Nadal won Mexican Open title after beating Taylor Fritz

In Tennis, World Number 2 Rafael Nadal captured his first title of the year, defeating unseeded Taylor Fritz in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, in the final of the ATP Mexico Open .

Nadal, playing in his first tournament since losing in the quarter-finals at the Australian Open last month, ousted Fritz in the first career meeting between the two.

Nadal ceded the world number one ranking to Novak Djokovic after the Australian Open, where the Serb won a record eighth title.

In the women's final, seventh-seeded Heather Watson captured her first WTA title in three years by grinding out a 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 win over Canadian teen Leylah Fernandez.

World NGO Day

World NGO Day

World NGO Day is an international calendar day annually observed on 27 February.

Officially recognized and declared by the 12 member countries of the IX Baltic Sea NGO Forum of the Council of the Baltic Sea States in 2010 and first time marked by the UN EU leaders and international organizations in 2014.

World NGO Day, February 27, was established by the philanthropist Mārcis Liors Skadmanis.

Sharapova says goodbye to Tennis

Sharapova says goodbye to Tennis

Maria Yuryevna Sharapova is a Russian former professional tennis player

Five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova,   announced her retirement from tennis.

she won her first Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 2004 aged 17 and completed the career slam, all four major titles,  by winning the French Open in 2012.

Sharapova competed on the WTA tour from 2001 to 2020 and had been ranked world No. 1 in singles by the WTA on five separate occasions, for a total of 21 weeks.

 She is one of ten women, and the only Russian, to hold the career Grand Slam.

She is also an Olympic medalist, having won a silver medal in women's singles at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

 

Mastercard Names Michael Miebach Next CEO

Mastercard Names Michael Miebach Next CEO

Credit card and electronic payments giant Mastercard (MA) - Get Report on Tuesday named current Chief Product Officer Michael Miebach as its next CEO, replacing current CEO Ajay Banga, who will continue on as the company’s executive chairman effective next January.

 the company announced that Banga will become executive chairman of the board of directors as of Jan. 1, 2021.

Miebach will become CEO and also join the board as of Jan. 1, though he will take on the role of president as of March 1, 2020.

Mastercard Incorporated is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in the Mastercard International Global Headquarters in Purchase, New York, United States.

The Global Operations Headquarters is located in O'Fallon, Missouri, United States, a municipality of St. Charles County, Missouri.

Bangladesh records sharp decline in Child malnutrition according to an UNICEF Survey

Bangladesh records sharp decline in Child malnutrition according to an UNICEF Survey

The child malnutrition rate in Bangladesh has declined sharply over the last six years.

 The finding was reported in the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2019, jointly conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and UNICEF.

The survey has also recorded an improvement in many other areas related to health and nutrition, Child protection, hygiene and sanitation.

The rate of chronic malnutrition among children measured by the stunting level among them has come down from 42 percent in 2013 to 28 percent in 2019.

The percentage of underweight children below 5 also declined from about 32 percent to 22.6 percent over the same period.

The infant mortality rate has also declined from 46 to 34 per thousand live births between 2012-13 and 2019.
 

International Mother Language Day

International Mother Language Day

International Mother Language Day (IMLD) is a worldwide annual observance held on 21 February to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism.

First announced by UNESCO on 17 November 1999, it was formally recognized by the United Nations General Assembly with the adoption of UN resolution 56/262 Multilingualism in 2002.

Mother Language Day is part of a broader initiative "to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by peoples of the world" as adopted by the UN General Assembly on May 16, 2007 in UN resolution 61/266, which also established 2008 as the International Year of Languages.

The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day was the initiative of Bangladesh.

France began shut down of country's oldest nuclear power plant

France began shut down of country's oldest nuclear power plant

French state-owned energy giant EDF today began shutting down the country's oldest nuclear power plant after 43 years in operation.

EDF had disconnected one of two reactors at Fessenheim, along the Rhine river near France's eastern border with Germany and Switzerland, at 2:00 am (0100 GMT) in the first stage of the complete closure of the plant.

The second reactor is to be taken offline on June 30 but it will be several months before the two have cooled enough and the used fuel can start to be removed.

The removal of the fuel is expected to be completed by the summer of 2023 but the plant will only be fully decommissioned by 2040 at the earliest.

Shutting down Fessenheim became a key goal of anti-nuclear campaigners after the catastrophic meltdown at Fukushima in Japan in 2011.

Experts have noted that construction and safety standards at Fessenheim, brought online in 1977, fall far short of those at Fukushima, with some warning that seismic and flooding risks in the Alsace region had been underestimated.

Despite a pledge by ex-President Francois Hollande just months after Fukushima to close the plant, it was not until 2018 that President Emmanuel Macron's government gave the final green light.

Canadian doctors used robot to perform surgery to treat brain aneurysm

Canadian doctors used robot to perform surgery to treat brain aneurysm

In a first, Canadian doctors have used a robot to perform a surgery to treat brain aneurysm.

The medical condition is a weakness in a blood vessel in the brain that balloons and fills with blood.

The experimental procedure was described at the  International Stroke Conference-2020, held in the United States.

The surgery was performed on a 64-year-old female patient.

the ability to deliver rapid care through remote robotics for time-critical procedures such as stroke could have a huge impact on improving patient outcomes.

It will also allow surgeons to deliver cutting-edge care to patients everywhere, regardless of geography.

Achanta Sharath Kamal, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran won silver at Hungarian Open

Achanta Sharath Kamal, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran won silver at Hungarian Open

Indian men's doubles pair of Achanta Sharath Kamal and Gnanasekaran Sathiyan settled for a silver medal at the ITTF World Tour Hungarian Open after losing the summit clash to German combination of Benedikt Duda and Patrick Franziska at Budapest  5-11, 9-11, 11-8, 9-11

The Indian pair had defeated top seeds Ho Kwan Kit and Wong Chun Ting of Hong Kong 3-2 in the semi-finals.

It is Sharath Kamal's second medal from the prestigious tournament. He also won a bronze with Manika Batra in mixed doubles.

 Chennai's Mathan Rajan Hansini bagged a bronze medal in the mini-cadet girls' singles category at the Swedish Junior and Cadet Open in Orebro, Sweden.

India hosted 13th COP on Conservation of Migratory Species of wild animals

India hosted 13th COP on Conservation of Migratory Species of wild animals

The 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the conservation of migratory species of wild animals (CMS), an environmental treaty under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme, is going to be hosted by India from 17th to 22nd February 2020 at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.

The theme of CMS COP13 in India is, “Migratory species connect the planet and we welcome them home. “The CMS COP 13 logo is inspired by ‘Kolam’, a traditional art form from southern India.

In the logo of CMS COP-13, Kolam art form is used to depict key migratory species in India like Amur falcon, humpback whale and marine turtles.

India has been a Party to the CMS since 1983.  The Conference of Parties (COP) is the decision-making organ of this convention.

India has signed a non-legally binding MOU with CMS on the conservation and management of Siberian Cranes (1998), Marine Turtles (2007), Dugongs (2008) and Raptors (2016).

 

World's largest crafts fair Surajkund Mela culminated

World's largest crafts fair Surajkund Mela culminated

The largest crafts fair in the world, the 34th Surajkund Mela -2020 culminated today.

More than million visitors came this year in the International craft fair.

The Mela is organized every year by the Surajkund Mela Authority & Haryana Tourism in collaboration with Union Ministries of Tourism, Textiles, Culture and External Affairs.

The state of Himachal Pradesh was chosen to be the Theme State for this year.

At least 20 countries & all the states of India participated in the Mela.

AIFF receives 'Grassroots Charter Bronze Level' membership of AFC

AIFF receives 'Grassroots Charter Bronze Level' membership of AFC

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has received the "Grassroots Charter Bronze Level" membership of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The Asian sports governing body has confirmed this in a letter to the AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das.

This declaration accords AIFF the right to promote its grassroots events and activities with the support and recognition of the AFC in accordance with the applicable terms of the AFC Grassroots Charter.

Expressing his happiness over the development,  AIFF President, Praful Patel said Indian football is headed in the right direction.

Koneru Humpy won Cairns Cup Chess Tournament in US

Koneru Humpy won Cairns Cup Chess Tournament in US

World rapid champion Koneru Humpy claimed her second title in the last two months by winning the Cairns Cup Chess Tournament at St Louis in USA.

She drew with compatriot Dronavalli Harika in the ninth and final round. Humpy ended with six points ahead of reigning champion Zu Wezun who finished with 5.5 points.

With this win, Humpy would be gaining five ELO rating points, the basis for international rankings and moving to no.2 in the world list. Harika finished tied fifth with 4.5 points.

Humpy was crowned as the world champion in the last week of December 2019.

World Radio Day

World Radio Day

 World Radio Day is celebrated on 13th of February each year. The Day was decided by UNESCO on 3 November 2011 during its 36th conference.

The day is observed every year on this date to raise greater awareness among the public and the media of the importance of radio and to encourage decision makers to establish and provide access to information through radio.

On 14th January, 2013, the United Nations General Assembly formally endorsed UNESCO’s proclamation of  World Radio Day.

During its 67th session, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming 13th of February as World Radio Day.

Radio is a low-cost medium specifically suited to reaching remote communities and vulnerable people.

It is a powerful medium for celebrating humanity in all its diversity and constitutes a platform for democratic discourse.

It also plays a crucial role in emergency communication and disaster relief.

It is also a day to remember the unique power of radio which touches lives and brings people together from every corner of the globe.

The theme of this year's World Radio Day is Radio and Diversity.

India won bronze medal at Badminton Asia Team Championships

India won bronze medal at Badminton Asia Team Championships

Indian Men's team won a bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Team Championships after losing to two-time defending champions Indonesia 2-3 in the semifinals at Manila.

World No. 31 Lakshya notched up a sensational 21-18 22-20 win over world no. 7 Asian Games champion, Jonatan Christie in the second singles encounter. Earlier, B Sai Praneeth retired following a 6-21 thrashing by Anthony Ginting in the opening game of the first singles.

Following this, doubles pair of M R Arjun and Dhruv Kapila went down narrowly 10-21 21-14 21-23 to three-time world champions and second-ranked Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan as Indonesia made it 2-1.

 Subhankar Dey then defeated world No. 20 Shesar Hiren Rhustavito 21-17 21-15 in the third singles as India once again drew level 2-2.
In the deciding second doubles, Chirag Shetty paired up with Lakshya were defeated by World no. 1 combine of Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo  21-6 21-13  and seal their place in the finals.

Indian men thus settled for their second bronze medal, having won the first one at the 2016 Hyderabad edition.

New educational institution built with Indian assistance inaugurated in Nepal

New educational institution built with Indian assistance inaugurated in Nepal

A new educational institution building constructed with Government of India financial assistance for students from the economically weaker sections was inaugurated in a remote area of Gulmi district in Nepal .

The new three-storey building with Indian assistance of 2.5 crore rupees is part of the Chandrakot Campus under the Tribhuvan University.

The Chandrakot Campus was established in 2008 with an aim of imparting higher education to students who are unable to pursue their higher studies due to poor economic conditions. Over 90 per cent of the students studying in the Campus are girls.

The establishment of this campus is expected to help the economically poor and socially backward students, in particular girls’ students, who were deprived of higher education in the absence of a college in the region.

India has been providing assistance in the development of several educational institutions in Nepal. On Monday, a new school built with Indian grant of 2.4 crore rupees was inaugurated in Nuwakot district of Nepal as part of the Government of India’s post-earthquake rehabilitation programme.

Indian-origin UK Minister Alok Sharma to lead UN climate summit

Indian-origin UK Minister Alok Sharma to lead UN climate summit

Indian-origin Alok Sharma was  named the new UK Minister in charge of the UN climate talks to be hosted by Britain this November.

Agra-born Sharma has been promoted to the post of Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Cabinet reshuffle.

He will take charge of the crucial summit ‘COP26' as its former president was removed amid controversy just weeks ago.

India's Lalremsiami named as 2019 FIH Women's Rising Star of Year

India's Lalremsiami named as 2019 FIH Women's Rising Star of Year

India forward Lalremsiami has been named as the 2019 FIH Women's Rising Star of the Year by the International Hockey Federation. 

Announcing the awards today the FIH said that 19-year-old Lalremsiami took the prize ahead of Argentina's Julieta Jankunas and Frederique Matla of the Netherlands.

The player from Mizoram got 40 per cent of all the votes cast. She got 47.7 per cent of her votes from among national associations, while the media, fans/players contributed 28.4 per cent and 36.4 per cent respectively.

Ladakh Scouts Regimental Centre Red wins 1st Khelo India Ice Hockey tournament

Ladakh Scouts Regimental Centre Red wins 1st Khelo India Ice Hockey tournament

The Ladakh Scouts Regimental Centre (LSRC) Red won the first Men’s section Khelo India Ice Hockey tournament 2020.

They defeated Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) team 3-2 in a nail biting thriller final match  .

Bangladesh won maiden Under-19 World Cup

Bangladesh won maiden Under-19 World Cup

Bangladesh beat India by three wickets to win maiden ICC U-19 World Cup cricket title by Duckworth-Lewis method  in South Africa.

  India Scored 177 in 47.2 overs and  Bangaldesh scored a revised target of 170 in 42.1 overs.

For India, Yashaswi Jaiswal scored 88 runs off 121 balls. Bangladeshi skipper Akbar Ali was declared the Player of the Match

Meeting of BBIN Motor Vehicle Act held in New Delhi

Meeting of BBIN Motor Vehicle Act held in New Delhi

A meeting of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal on the BBIN MVA (Motor Vehicle Act) was held in New Delhi today.

 The meeting was held to discuss the passenger and cargo Protocols that are to give effect to the Motor Vehicles Agreement for the Regulation of Passenger, Personal and Cargo Vehicular Traffic between the four countries signed in 2015.

The delegations recalled commitments made for implementation of the BBIN MVA and the importance of trade, economic cooperation and people-to-people contact.

Delegations expressed satisfaction over progress made by each country in internal consultations with their stake-holders for the Protocol for movement of Passengers.

Fifth edition of Dhaka Art Summit inaugurated

Fifth edition of Dhaka Art Summit inaugurated

The fifth edition of the art Summit  of Bangladesh,  Dhaka Art Summit was inaugurated

Varied art-forms including live performance, installation, photography and painting are brought together during this festival.

 More than 500 artists, sculptors, architects and art professionals from various countries are participating in the Summit.

The Summit is also featuring live events, panel discussions and puppet shows among other things.

RBI keeps repo rate, reverse repo rate unchanged

RBI keeps repo rate, reverse repo rate unchanged

 the Monetary Policy Committee’s decision was to maintain status quo on policy rates for the second time in a row

While stating that inflation outlook remains uncertain, the RBI informed that a spike in onion prices last year, was alone responsible for a hike of 328 basis points in food inflation.

the decision on policy rates will be made once inflation starts to decelerate, adding that RBI remains vigilant to a potential generalization of inflation.

RBI’s Monetary Policy Committee will continue to remain proactive as it was last year when the repo rate was reduced by 135 basis points.

the RBI announced that it will soon start conducting long-term repos of one-year and three-year tenors of appropriate sizes for up to a total amount of 1,00,000 crore rupees.

NASA astronaut Christina Koch returns to Earth after record-setting stay in space

NASA astronaut Christina Koch returns to Earth after record-setting stay in space

NASA's astronaut Christina Koch returned from space to Earth safely yesterday. Koch returned after an 11-month mission, breaking the world record for the most time spent by a woman in space.

Koch has spent 328 days on International Space Station ISS, surpassing the previous record of 289 days held by fellow American Peggy Whitson.

Koch's medical data will be especially valuable to NASA scientists as the agency draws up plans for a long-duration manned mission to Mars.

ICC T20 Rankings

ICC T20 Rankings

India's K.L Rahul moved up to No.2 in the rankings released by International Cricket Council today for T20 International batsmen after hitting 224 runs from five matches against New Zealand.

Rahul, who scored 56, 57 not out, 27, 39 and 45 in the five T20 Internationals against New Zealand, now has 823 rating points.

India's Vice-Captain Rohit Sharma entered the top-10.

Skipper Virat Kohli remained in ninth position.

New natural gas field containing 80 trillion cubic feet of gas discovered in UAE

New natural gas field containing 80 trillion cubic feet of gas discovered in UAE

The United Arab Emirates today announced the discovery of a new natural gas field containing 80 trillion standard cubic feet of gas in the cross-border area of the Emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

A press statement by the Government of Dubai stated that the discovery of the Jebel Ali gas field will contribute to achieving gas self-sufficiency for the nation and support the next phase of its major development projects in line with the nation’s strategic development plan for the coming 50 years.

 a strategic cooperation agreement between the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), a top energy company of the UAE and the Dubai Supply Authority (DUSUP) to continue to explore and develop shallow gas in the cross-border area of the Emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, as part of the joint venture called the Jebel Ali field was signed

This new gas field, spanning an area of 5,000 square kilometres in the cross-border area of the two emirates, represents one of the largest natural gas discoveries in the UAE. The discovery strengthens the UAE’s position among countries with the world’s largest natural gas reserves. This discovery will help UAE in transiting the gulf nation from a net importer of gas to a potential net exporter of gas in coming times.

BAFTA 2020

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts or BAFTA Film Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The ceremonies were initially held at the flagship Odeon cinema in Leicester Square in London, before being held at the Royal Opera House from 2008 to 2016. Since 2017, the ceremony has been held at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The 73rd British Academy Film Awards was held on 2 February 2020 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, honouring the best national and foreign films of 2019. Presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, accolades will be handed out for the best feature-length film and documentaries of any nationality that were screened at British cinemas in 2019.

BEST FILM

1917
Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Sam Mendes, Jayne-Ann Tenggren

LEADING ACTRESS

RENÉE ZELLWEGER
Judy

LEADING ACTOR

JOAQUIN PHOENIX
Joker

DIRECTOR

1917
Sam Mendes

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

1917
Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Jayne-Ann Tenggren, Krysty Wilson-Cairns

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

BAIT
Mark Jenkin (Writer/Director), Kate Byers, Linn Waite (Producers)

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

PARASITE
Bong Joon Ho

DOCUMENTARY

FOR SAMA
Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts

ANIMATED FILM

KLAUS
Sergio Pablos, Jinko Gotoh

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

PARASITE
Han Jin Won, Bong Joon Ho

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

JOJO RABBIT
Taika Waititi

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

LAURA DERN
Marriage Story

SUPPORTING ACTOR

BRAD PITT
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

ORIGINAL SCORE

JOKER
Hildur Guðnadóttir

CASTING

JOKER
Shayna Markowitz

CINEMATOGRAPHY

1917
Roger Deakins

EDITING

FORD V FERRARI (LE MANS ’66)
Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker

PRODUCTION DESIGN

1917
Dennis Gassner, Lee Sandales

COSTUME DESIGN

LITTLE WOMEN
Jacqueline Durran

MAKE UP & HAIR

BOMBSHELL
Vivian Baker, Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan

SOUND

1917
Scott Millan, Oliver Tarney, Rachael Tate, Mark Taylor, Stuart Wilson

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

1917
Greg Butler, Guillaume Rocheron, Dominic Tuohy

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION

GRANDAD WAS A ROMANTIC
Maryam Mohajer

BRITISH SHORT FILM

LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL)
Carol Dysinger, Elena Andreicheva

EE RISING STAR AWARD

Micheal Ward

OUTSTANDING BRITISH CONTRIBUTION TO CINEMA

Andy Serkis

Maldives rejoined Commonwealth

Maldives rejoined Commonwealth

The Maldives has once again become a member of the Commonwealth of nations. President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih made the announcement today, fulfilling one of his key presidential pledges.

The president said that the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, confirmed Maldives’ reinstatement into the organization as its 54th member state.

The Maldives first became a member of the Commonwealth in 1982 but former President Abdulla Yameen decided to leave it in October 2016, amid mounting pressure from the group over corruption and deteriorating human rights.

President Solih’s cabinet passed to rejoin the organization, shortly after assuming office in November 2018.

With Maldives’ reinstatement into the Commonwealth, the country’s flag will be raised at Marlborough House, the Common Secretariat, on the 6th of this month.

Britain formally left membership of European Union

Britain formally left membership of European Union

Britain formally gave up membership of the European Union, EU last night. This concluded nearly four years of political upheavals.

Britons had voted to leave the bloc after 47 years of membership by a slim majority in 2016.

Brexit follows two general elections, the ouster of two prime ministers and politics reshaped by Brexit divisions.