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 31 March 2020 includes News summary on current events of International, National, Education, Banking, Sports, Awards and Obituary importance of 31 March 2020.
INT
Coronavirus: Trump says US in good shape to meet 'peak'
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Key Highlights- Donald Trump has said the US will be in "very good shape" in terms of the number of ventilators by the time the coronavirus outbreak peaks.
- The US president said there were now at least 10 companies making the ventilators - key equipment to treat critically ill patients.
- He said more than a million Americans had been tested for the virus - more than in any other country.
Why Taiwan has become a problem for WHO
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Key Highlights- Taiwan is seen as one of the few places in the world which has successfully stemmed the spread of the coronavirus without resorting to draconian measures.
- But despite its efforts, it is still effectively locked out of membership in the World Health Organization (WHO) due to its complex relationship with China.
- This all exploded over the weekend when a top WHO official appeared to avoid questions about Taiwan in a TV interview that has gone viral, attracting criticism and even accusations of bias.
Coronavirus: UK measures 'making a difference'
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Key Highlights- People are heeding the advice to stay at home to keep pressure off the NHS, and there are early signs that it is working, the UK's chief scientific adviser has said.
- Sir Patrick Vallance told a news conference that social distancing measures are "making a difference".
- Transmission of coronavirus in the community is thought to be decreasing, which could mean fewer infections.
Donald Trump defends extending coronavirus guidelines as spread continues
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Key Highlights- Siding with public health experts’ dire projections, President Donald Trump defended his decision to extend restrictive social distancing guidelines through the end of April, while bracing the nation for a coronavirus death toll that could exceed 100,000.
- “Challenging times are ahead for the next 30 days,” Trump said during a Rose Garden press conference. He called refraining from public outings “our shared patriotic duty” during the outbreak.
National
Covid-19 Updates: New York governor begs for help amid 'staggering' death toll
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Key Highlights- The number of novel coronavirus cases around the world continue to rise with the death toll soaring pass 37,500, according to AFP.
- India saw one of the sharpest spike in the number of Covid-19 cases as 227 people tested positive in 24 hours, taking the total number to 1,251 with 32 deaths, according to the Union health ministry.
Coronavirus: 227 new positive cases nationwide with 11 more deaths
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Key Highlights- The COVID-19 crisis appeared escalating with at least 11 new deaths including of six from Telangana who had attended a religious congregation in the national capital’s Nizamuddin area earlier this month, while the government reported 227 fresh cases of infection nationwide the highest for a day.
- While the Union Health Ministry maintained the deadly virus was still in the local transmission stage in India and yet to move to the community transmission phase, the Supreme Court cautioned that fear and panic are becoming a bigger problem than the coronavirus.
India orders PPE kits as frontline health workers face shortage
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Key Highlights- Indian Pilots’ Guild, a union of pilots at the state-owned airline Air India, wrote to the civil aviation minister and the company’s chairman complaining about the quality and quantity of personal protective equipment (PPE) on “recent rescue flights” aimed at bringing back home Indians stuck overseas on account of the Covid-19 pandemic.
- The union specifically mentioned shoe covers that failed in “minutes”, gloves in hours, and “ill-fitting” hazmat suits, of which there weren’t enough, in the letter to chairman Rajiv Bansal, and “flimsy PPE that tear” in that to minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
Telangana cuts salaries of govt staff by 10-75%
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Key Highlights- The Telangana government announced drastic cuts – ranging from a minimum 10% to a maximum 75% - in the monthly salaries of all its employees and public representatives, citing the impact of Covid-19 on the state’s finances.
- A decision to the effect was taken at a high-level meeting convened by chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at his camp office, Pragati Bhavan, to review the state’s financial position, which has turned precarious because of a fall in the state’s revenues and also in the devolution of funds from the Centre.
Education
Pokhriyal advises NTA to extend application deadline for UGC NET, CSIR NET and various other exams
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Key Highlights- Union HRD Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal advised the Director General of National Testing Agency (NTA) to reschedule the registration deadline for several upcoming entrance examinations like ICAR Exam, JNUEE, UGC NET, CSIR NET, NCHM JEE, IGNOU PhD, Management Entrance exams and All India Ayush PG Entrance Test by a month.
- The decision has been taken to make it convenient for the students to fill the form amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country resulting in lockdown.
NDA, NA exam 2020 postponed due to coronavirus lockdown
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Key Highlights- In cognizance of the coronavirus lockdown, UPSC has postponed the NDA, NA examination 2020. An official notice regarding this decision has been uploaded on its official website.
- According to the notice, NDA, NA exam 2020 scheduled to be conducted on April 19, 2020, at various centers stands deferred till further notice.
Banking
ICICI WhatsApp banking | All you need to know about the service
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Key Highlights- Amid the ongoing lockdown, private sector lender ICICI Bank has launched its services on messaging platform WhatsApp, a move that will allow customers to avail banking services 24x7 without the need to visit a branch.
- To avail the WhatsApp banking service, add ICICI Bank's verified WhatsApp number '9324953001' to your contacts.
RBI opens up specified G-Secs fully for foreign investors
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Key Highlights- In line with the Budget announcement, the Reserve Bank opened certain specified categories of government securities (g-secs) for non-resident investors as part of an initiative to deepen the bond market.
- Accordingly, a separate route namely, Fully Accessible Route (FAR) for investment by non-residents in securities issued by the Government of India has been notified, the RBI said in a notification.
Sports
UEFA to meet to debate options for ravaged football fixture calendar
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Key Highlights- UEFA will hold a videoconference on Wednesday this week with its 55 member federations as part of discussions on the potential rescheduling of matches postponed due to the coronavirus crisis, European football’s governing body announced.
- The meeting will see UEFA share an update on the progress made by the two working groups that were created two weeks ago in response to the crisis caused by the pandemic and following the decision to postpone the European Championship by a year.
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Key Highlights- The unbeaten UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was scheduled to face American MMA star Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 on April 18 in what promised to be a cracker of a bout.
- But with the coronavirus pandemic posing a major roadblock to the event, it seems that the fight could face a cancellation, for the fifth time.
Awards
Winners of Critics’ Choice Film Awards 2020 announced
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Key Highlights- Critics’ Choice Film (annual) Awards 2020 were announced digitally to honour Best Film, Best Actor (Male), Best Actor (Female), Best Director and Best Writing across 8 languages namely: Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, Malayalam, Gujarati and Kannada.
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