UB Pravin Rao appointed as Chairman , Rekha Menon as vice chairperson of NASSCOM

UB Pravin Rao appointed as Chairman , Rekha Menon as vice chairperson of NASSCOM

 Software services industry body National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom), in its first-ever Executive Council meeting held via video conference, named U B Pravin Rao, Chief Operating Officer, Infosys as Chairman for 2020-21, and Rekha Menon, Chairman and Senior Managing Director, Accenture, India as Vice Chairperson.

Rao was the Vice Chairman in the previous year, and succeeds Keshav Murugesh, Group CEO, WNS Global Services.

The newly appointed leadership along with President Debjani Ghosh, will lead the industry body to carry out its wide array of objectives for the coming year in order to achieve their 2025 vision for the industry.

International Day of Conscience

International Day of Conscience

At the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Kingdom of Bahrain sponsored an initiative by the Prime Minister,  Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, to designate 5 April as an International Day of Conscience.

 The Assembly unanimously adopted resolution A/RES/73/329 on 31 July 2019 entitled "Promoting the Culture of Peace with Love and Conscience" and declared 5 April as the International Day of Conscience (IDC).

The International Day of Conscience is inspired by article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states, "all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, are endowed with reason and conscience, and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

It aims to promote a culture of peace based on a set of values, attitudes and behaviors inspired by the principles of freedom, justice, democracy, human rights, tolerance and solidarity.

Kobe Bryant inducted into Naismith Hall of Fame

Kobe Bryant inducted into Naismith Hall of Fame

The five-time NBA champion  Kobe Bryant  was inducted into Naismith Hall of Fame

Los Angeles Lakers great Bryant retired in 2016; he was the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2008, was Finals MVP twice and earned 18 All-Star selections.

He was in the United States team that won Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012.

Tim Duncan, a five-time NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs, and Kevin Garnett, who helped the Boston Celtics win the championship in 2008, were also inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame is named after Dr James Naismith, the Canadian physician who invented basketball.

International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action 2020

International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action 2020

International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action is observed on 4 April each year.

The decision to mark the day as Mine Awareness Day was announced by the United Nations General Assembly on 8 December, 2005.

International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action calls for continued efforts to encourage states to establish and develop national mine-action capacities.

This is done because mines and explosive remnants of war constitute a serious threat to the safety, health and lives of the civilian populations and an impediment to social and economic development.

 

Tony Lewis, famous for Duckworth-Lewis-Stern

Tony Lewis, famous for Duckworth-Lewis-Stern

Tony Lewis, was one of the men behind the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method used in weather-affected limited overs cricket matches,

Tony, alongside fellow mathematician Frank Duckworth, devised the Duckworth-Lewis method which was introduced in 1997 and adopted officially by the ICC (International Cricket Council) in 1999.

Renamed the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern Method in 2014, the mathematical formula continues to be used in rain reduced limited overs cricket games across the globe.

The method then in use was based on removing the lowest-scoring overs from each team's innings. 

The formula has been criticised for not being suited to Twenty20 matches, cricket's shortest format, which came into being after Duckworth-Lewis was established.

No alternative method, however, has yet found favour with the ICC.

Official mascots of 19th Asian Games unveiled in Hangzhou, China

Official mascots of 19th Asian Games unveiled in Hangzhou, China

The official mascots of the 19th Asian Games were unveiled at a digital launch ceremony in Hangzhou, China .

The three robots, which are going to be the mascots for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games are collectively known as the smart triplets.

The Mascots - Congcong, Lianlian and Chenchen, which reflect the internet prowess of Hangzhou city and Zhejiang province, were unveiled at a digital ceremony

The Olympic Council of Asia's 19th Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou from September 10 to 25, 2022.

It will be the third Asian Games to be hosted by China following Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010, with the participation of 45 NOCs of Asia in 42 sports.

ADB announces 100 million US Dollars funding for Indian infrastructure sector

ADB announces 100 million US Dollars funding for Indian infrastructure sector

Multilateral institution Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced a 100 million US Dollars funding for the Indian infrastructure sector through the government-promoted National Investment and Infrastructure Fund-NIIF.

The Manila-based body will be investing in NIIF, tranche of funds, which will ensure that the actual money invested will be a few times more than the 100 million dollars. NIIF's Chief Executive Sujoy Bose said that the ADB's commitment to NIIF fund during these extraordinary and challenging times is highly meaningful.

Mr Bose said, ADB has been funding Indian private equity funds for over two decades now and added the latest move will help NIIF commit money to private equity fund managers who may be struggling to raise money from overseas sources.

The statement said, it has made commitments to three funds aggregating to over 2,600 crore rupees or 350 million dollars.

Govt extended existing foreign trade policy (2015-20) for one year till March 2021

Govt extended existing foreign trade policy (2015-20) for one year till March 2021

The Government today extended the existing foreign trade policy (2015-20) for one year till March 2021

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade, DGFT in a notification said, the existing foreign trade policy 2015-20 which is valid up to March 31 this year is extended up to March 31, 2021.

Various other changes are also made extending the date of exemptions by one year and extending validity of DFIA and EPCG authorisations for import purposes.

Exports during April-February this fiscal dipped by 1.5 per cent to 292.91 billion dollars.

Imports during the period declined by 7.30 per cent to 436 billion dollars, leaving a trade deficit of 143.12 billion dollars.

Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) is an export promotion scheme under which an exporter can import certain amount of capital goods at zero duty for upgrading technology related with exports.

On the other hand, advance authorisation is issued to allow duty free import of inputs, which is physically incorporated in export product. Under the Duty Free Import Authorisation (DFIA) scheme, exportersare allowed to import certain goods like sugar at zero duty.

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.

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).