Introduction
Current Affairs is a type of broadcast journalism where the emphasis is on detailed analysis and discussion of news stories that have recently occurred or ongoing at the time of broadcast. The article Current Affairs 23 March 2020 includes News summary on current events of International, National, Education, Banking, Sports, Awards and Obituary importance of 23 March 2020.
INT
Coronavirus update: German Chancellor Angela Merkel quarantined
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Key Highlights- Chancellor Angela Merkel was in quarantine after meeting a doctor who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, as Germany further tightens rules on public gatherings and plots a taboo-breaking package of support for Europe’s top economy.
- News of Merkel’s potential exposure to the virus came minutes after she announced a ban on public gatherings of more than two people and further infection control measures.
- “The Chancellor has decided to quarantine herself immediately at home. She will be tested regularly in the coming days... (and) fulfill her official business from home,” spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement.
US axed CDC expert job in China months before coronavirus outbreak: Report
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Key Highlights- Several months before the coronavirus pandemic began, the Trump administration eliminated a key American public health position in Beijing intended to help detect disease outbreaks in China, Reuters has learned.
- The American disease expert, a medical epidemiologist embedded in China’s disease control agency, left her post in July, according to four sources with knowledge of the issue.
New York could become the next coronavirus hot spot
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Key Highlights- No more play dates, no more picnics in the park with friends, no more pickup games of basketball.
- No more commuting or using public transport — unless absolutely essential. New York implemented dramatic restrictions in an attempt to slow a pandemic that has swept across the globe and threatened to make the state one of the world’s biggest coronavirus hot spots.
US senator Rand Paul tests positive for Covid-19
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Key Highlights- Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky has tested positive for the novel coronavirus, becoming the first case of COVID-19 in the Senate and raising fears about the further transmission of the virus among Republicans at the Capitol.
- Paul, an eye surgeon, went into quarantine after learning his results. He said he has not had symptoms and was tested out of an abundance of caution due to his extensive travel and events. He said he was not aware of any direct contact with an infected person.
National
Covid-19: CBI postpones non-urgent interrogations for two weeks
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Key Highlights- With Covid-19 positive cases increasing day-by-day across the country, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has asked all its branches to suspend all the non-urgent interrogations/recording of witness statements till April 4, officials familiar with the development told HT.
- Only the accused persons who are directed by the courts to present themselves before the CBI officers will be called by the agency.
Rajasthan to prepare 1,00,000 isolation beds in fight against Covid-19
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Key Highlights- Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot ordered officials to prepare 1,00,000 isolation beds to meet any emergency, as the number of Covid-19 positive cases in the state rose to 28.
- He also held meeting with Army, Air Force, Border Security Force, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Railways and other central agencies on Sunday evening to seek their support to fight the coronavirus disease.
15 new cases in Maharashtra; 89 Covid-19 patients in state now: Report
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Key Highlights- Maharashtra has reported 15 new patients of Covid-19 taking the number of infected people in the state to 89, news agency ANI said citing the health department.
- The country’s hardest-hit state by Sars-Cov-2 said a 63-year-old man had died in Mumbai and the number of coronavirus cases had gone up to 74.
- Maharashtra has announced a near-total shutdown of the state till March 31, in line with the Centre’s extraordinary new measures to arrest the spread of the coronavirus.
The coronavirus disease Covid-19 has infected 396 people so far in the country
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Key Highlights- As the number of Covid-19 positive cases soared in the country, the government put in place stringent measures, locking down districts to check the spread of Sars-CoV-2 virus.
- The government has already said that private-sector workers in New Delhi must work from home this week unless they are providing an essential service. Most public transport will also be halted.
Education
West Bengal Secondary Education Board Asks Examiners To Hold Off Marks Submission
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Key Highlights- The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education asked teachers checking papers of the class 10 state board examinations to put off the scheduled process of submission of marks and answer scripts to head examiners untill further orders amid the coronavirus outbreak.
- Board President Kalyanmoy Ganguly told the teachers that submission of marks and answer scripts of the secondary examination "shall remain suspended".
Meghalaya Board Class 12th exams postponed due to coronavirus outbreak
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Key Highlights- The ongoing class 12 state board examinations in Meghalaya have been postponed for an indefinite period as a precautionary measure in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, an official said.
- The state government has directed the Meghalaya Board of School Education to postpone remaining examinations until further notice, the official said.
Banking
Bank branches to provide only essential services from March 23
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Key Highlights- The essential services such as cash deposits and withdrawals, clearing of cheques, remittances and government transactions.
- With the impact of the coronavirus pandemic being felt across the country, the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) said bank branches will provide only essential services such as cash deposits and withdrawals, clearing of cheques, remittances and government transactions from March 23, 2020, onwards.
RBI may soon allow repo operations in corporate bonds
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Key Highlights- The Reserve Bank of India may soon allow corporate bonds as collateral for repurchase operations in an attempt to cool the recent sharp uptick in corporate bond yields in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, two sources told Reuters.
- Under the RBI Act, we are not allowed to take any other collateral other than government securities. But we are not looking upon that as an impediment.
Sports
Olympic Gold Medallist Swimmer Cameron Van Der Burgh
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Key Highlights- Olympic champion swimmer Cameron van der Burgh said that he had contracted COVID-19, offering insight into how coronavirus infection could affect 2020 Olympic hopefuls.
- "I have been struggling with Covid-19 for 14 days today," South Africa's van der Burgh wrote on Twitter.
Chess wizard Anand talks about life in lockdown in Germany
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Key Highlights- I had come to Germany in February to play in the Chess Bundesliga for my team OSG Baden-Baden but the matches got cancelled because of the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak. Before returning to India, I decided to voluntarily isolate myself for some days, as a precaution and to be socially distant, in my apartment near Frankfurt.
- But by then the travel restrictions (by the Indian government) were in place, so it made sense to follow them rather than put yourself as well as your family at risk.
Australia tells athletes to prepare for 2021 Tokyo Olympics
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Key Highlights- Australian Olympic officials said “it was clear” that the Tokyo Games could not go ahead as scheduled and told its athletes to instead prepare for the event in 2021. ,li>The International Olympic Committee shifted its tone on the Games overnight as the coronavirus crisis spirals, saying it would step up planning for different scenarios, including postponement.
Postponing Olympics may become inevitable: Japan PM Abe
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Key Highlights- Postponing the Olympics over the coronavirus pandemic may become “inevitable”, Japan’s prime minister conceded, after the International Olympic Committee said a delay was being considered as pressure grows from athletes and sports bodies.
- The comments from Shinzo Abe were his first acknowledgment that the 2020 Games may not open as scheduled on July 24, as the coronavirus marches across the globe causing unprecedented chaos.
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