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• External Affairs minister (EAM), Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has attended the 3-day long Munich Security Conference 2020, the world’s leading forum for debate on international security policy, held at Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich, Germany from February14 – 16 2020.


• The saw the participation of high-ranking international decision-makers, including more than 35 heads of government and heads of state, as well as more than 100 cabinet ministers.

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• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was reviving a plan for the construction of 3,000 new settler homes near East Jerusalem, a project effectively frozen after international opposition.


• Netanyahu’s announcement, during an election campaign in which he has sought to shore up support from pro-settlement voters, was condemned by the Palestinians as another blow to their hopes for an independent state.

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• Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg is using her prize money from an award known as the alternative Nobel to help set up a non-profit organisation in her name “to promote ecological and social sustainability”.


• Thunberg, 17, who won the Right Livelihood Award in December, will use the 1 million Swedish crown ($100,000) prize to establish the Greta Thunberg Foundation in Sweden.

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• President Trump’s longtime confidant Roger Stone was sentenced to three years and four months in prison for lying to Congress and witness tampering, after a tumultuous two weeks in which Mr. Trump denounced the handling of the case and the government trial lawyers withdrew.


• In a stern lecture during a 2-1/2-hour sentencing hearing for the veteran Republican operative, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson also delivered an implicit rebuke to Mr. Trump, who has attacked her along with the jury and prosecutors in the high-profile case.

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• BioAsia 2020 was held at the life science capital of India i.e. Hyderabad , Telangana from 17th- 19th February, 2020 on the theme “Today for Tomorrow”.


• It was hosted by the Government of Telangana in partnership with EY (Ernst & Young Private Limited). It was the 17th edition of the flagship international convention – BioAsia, whose CEO is Shakthi Nagappan. The event was attended by Piyush Goyal, Minister for Commerce and Industry.

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• India to switch to World’s cleanest petrol and diesel from April 1,2020, when it proceeds to Bharat Stage (BS-VI) from BS-IV grades at present.


• India will join the select league of nations using petrol & diesel which contains 10ppm (parts per millions of Sulphur which cuts down vehicular discharge that is stated to be one of the reasons for pollution.

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• Highlighting the importance of preserving, protecting and promoting Indian languages, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu spoke in 22 languages at an event held in New Delhi to mark the International Mother Language Day.


• He urged all the citizens to take a pledge to promote mother tongue and also learn other languages. The Vice President called for a national movement to promote Indian Languages in a big way, and said "When we protect and promote mother tongues, we protect and promote linguistic and cultural diversity also."

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• A second batch of about 40 Union ministers is likely to visit Jammu and Kashmir in April to get first-hand information about various development schemes initiated there by both the central government and the Union Territory administration, officials said.


• The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) will decide the composition of the ministerial delegation that will undertake the follow up of the first visit of 37 Union ministers, who had toured Jammu and Kashmir last month.

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• Staff Selection Commission (SSC) Junior Hindi Translator (JHT), junior translator, senior Hindi translator and Hindi Pradhyapak 2018 exam result has been declared.


• Candidates who had taken the exam can check their SSC JHT 2018 final results at ssc.nic.in. The exam was conducted to fill 104 vacancies.

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• Purported images of last year’s geography question paper with 2020 typed on it surfaced on WhatsApp soon after the class 10 West Bengal board examination of the subject began, an official said.


• Authorities of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education claimed that it was done to mislead people.

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• Shares were mixed in Asia after Wall Street recovered to record highs, with the Shanghai benchmark jumping nearly 2 per cent after China’s central bank cut interest rates to help ease credit for companies stricken by the virus outbreak centered on the city of Wuhan.


• Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 0.3 percent to 23,479.15, shedding bigger early gains. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 added 0.3 per cent to 7,162.50. and the Shanghai Composite index picked up 0.5 percent to 2,989.31.

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• Axis Bank is in talks to acquire more than 20% stake in Max Life Insurance through fresh issue of equity, the Economic Times reported, citing multiple sources.


• The deal is aimed at building a strategic and long-term partnership with Axis Bank which is also Max Life’s largest source of revenue at 54%, according to the report.


• It added that the deal with Axis Bank will eliminate the uncertainty about a bancassurance partner for the insurer.

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• The Indian women's T20 World Cup squad begin their quest for elusive ICC silverware with possibly one of the toughest matches of their campaign when they take on powerful hosts Australia in the first match in Sydney.


• India, who had begun the tri-series against Australia and England prior to the World Cup with quite a bang, began to peter out towards the end and holes began to show, though they did make the final.

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• Anthony Martial struck a crucial away goal as Manchester United ground out a 1-1 draw against Club Brugge in Belgium in the first leg of their Europa League last 32 tie.


• Nigerian forward Emmanuel Dennis lobbed a stranded Sergio Romero from 30 yards to give Belgian league leaders Brugge the lead on 15 minutes at a chilly, rainswept Jan Breydelstadion.

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• The Government of India has approved the appointment of Rajendra Singh (former Director General of the Indian coast guard), Syed Ata Hasnain (former Lt. General of Army) and Krishna Vatsa (Policy and Recovery Advisory, Climate change and disaster risk reduction, United nations Development Program) as the members of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).


• Along with the appointments, the government also extended the tenure of Kamal Kishore presently serving as NDMA member for another 5 years.

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• Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar resigned, but stayed on as interim leader while the country's three main parties battle out coalition talks after an inconclusive election.


• Varadkar tendered his resignation as taoiseach, or premier, to President Michael Higgins after the first sitting of Ireland's lower house of parliament since an 8 February election which radically recast the political landscape.

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• Velagapudi Lakshmana Dutt, former FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry) President & Executive Chairman of KCP Group passed away at the age of 82 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Dutt was born on December 27, 1937 and was educated in London.


• About V L Dutt: Dr. Dutt served as the past president of All India Organisation of Employers, ICC India, Indian Sugar Mills Association, Cement Manufacturers Association & Andhra Chamber of Commerce. He also served as the past vice-chairman of ICC’s (International Chamber of Commerce) Commission on International Trade and Investment Policy, Paris.