Introduction
The article Current Affairs One-Liners March 2020 includes One-Liners with an explanation, analysis, and issues of current events, including political or industrial controversy or public policy issues in the month of March.
Mar 2020
1. International News
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Trudeau also admitted his Government did not get “things perfectly right” in response to a question over whether the ban on international travellers into Canada, imposed in mid-March, came a little too late.
- Canada’s House of Commons and Senate will get an automatic salary increase, according to standing legislation. As a result, each MP will get at least an extra CA$ 3750.
- China was emerging as a favourite possible supplier at this stage as new coronavirus infections were slowing there and its factories were being pushed to reopen.
- The residents of these remote places are, however, preparing themselves in the wake of the global outbreak of coronavirus.
- In India, a 40-year-old man was arrested last week for spitting on a woman and calling her ‘coronavirus’ in North Delhi.
- Mainland China had 48 new cases, the National Health Commission said in a statement, up from 31 new infections a day earlier.
- The comments came a day after Trump made a dramatic course reversal and announced that he would not be moving to ease the guidelines and get the economy back up and running by Easter, as he said last week he hoped to do.
- The number of novel coronavirus cases around the world continue to rise with the death toll soaring pass 37,500, according to AFP.
- 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,
- 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)
- 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.
- All the preachers have been asked to stay inside the mosque for a 14-day coronavirus quarantine and health officials will keep a close watch on them during the period, police said.
- The government has been under pressure from the dairy industry which has witnessed a drastic fall in the sale of milk since the 21-day lockdown began on March 25.
- The Delhi government has given an order to lodge an FIR against the organisers of the religious congregation in Delhi’s Nizamuddin
- An estimated 1,500-1,700 people, including 227 foreigners, are believed to have attended the annual gathering at the six-storey hostel-like headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat at Delhi’s Nizamuddin area earlier this month, according to Delhi health minister Satyejdar Jain.
- The health ministry urged people not to panic if they get infected with the novel coronavirus, stating most people get better and advised practicing self-isolation and taking medications that are advised.
- The foreign nationals at Nizamuddin’s Tablighi Jamaat congregation had entered India on Tourist visas in violation of the law
- The move comes in the wake of the 3-week Covid-19 lockdown to ensure that people don’t experience any inconvenience due to the closure of the transport offices.
- 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,
- UPSC has postponed the NDA, NA examination 2020. An official notice regarding this decision has been uploaded on its official website.
- ICICI Bank has launched its services on messaging platform WhatsApp, a move that will allow customers to avail banking services 24×7 without the need to visit a branch.
- 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.
- UEFA will hold a videoconference 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 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.
- 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
1. International News
- A breathing aid that can help keep coronavirus patients out of intensive care has been created in under a week.
- President Donald Trump has said federal coronavirus guidelines such as social distancing will be extended across the US until at least 30 April.
- Two tweets by Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro in which he questioned quarantine measures aimed at containing the novel coronavirus were removed, on the grounds that they violated the social network’s rules.
- China risked fanning the second wave of infections when domestic transmissions had “basically been stopped”, a senior health official said, while eased travel curbs may also add to domestic risks.
- US President Donald Trump said that the peak death rate in the United States from the coronavirus pandemic was likely to hit in two weeks.
- “We’ve been in lockdown for the last eight to 10 days, we don’t know when it will end,” said a 27-year-old Pakistani engineer in Qatar beginning a second week under mandatory quarantine.
- China has already started a PR exercise highlighting how it is helping other nations in the effort to tackle the crisis. Its embassy in Ottawa tweeted about the Bank of China donating medical supplies to Canada.
- Under the new H-1B Electronic Registration Process implemented this year, before the start of the application filing season on April 1, all the companies were mandatorily asked to register with the USCIS and March 20 was the last date for the registration.
- The grocer called 911 and reported a disturbance, following which the deputies arrived the store following which the teen was charged with “Tampering with Consumer Products,” officials said.
- The far-right leader had posted several videos in which he flouted his government’s social distancing guidelines by mixing with supporters on the streets of Brasilia and urging them to keep the economy going.
- Many New York residents, affected by the coronavirus pandemic, are now depending on food banks. Often wearing masks for protection, they keep their distance from each other under the direction of market volunteers.
- The plane was carrying six Filipino crew members and the American and Canadian passengers and was bound for Tokyo on a medical mission when it caught fire near the end of the main runway.
- Afghan ministry of peace affairs spokeswoman Najia Anwari said the Taliban’s stance was unjustified as the negotiating team was made after wide consultations among Afghan society.
- Oscar winner Tom Hanks and his wife, singer-songwriter Rita Wilson, arrived in Los Angeles after spending more than two weeks in quarantine in Australia.
- US cases climbed by well more than 21,000 over the previous day to at least 133,000 on Sunday. The death toll crossed 2,300.
- Judge Laura Bastos Carvalho gave the government 24 hours to publish an official statement explaining that its “Brazil cannot stop” campaign does not adhere to scientific criteria and therefore cannot be followed.
- The number of COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra climbed to 215 as 12 more people tested positive for coronavirus in the state, a health official said.
- Indian-American groups in the US have raised funds and deployed volunteers to help community members, including first responders, health workers, students and laborers in America and India,
- A 74-year-old man in Telangana was the first person in the state to die of coronavirus.
- Japanese government funding agency (JICA) signs an agreement worth Rs 15,295 crore with India to provide an Official Development Assistance (ODA) for 3 rail infrastructure projects.
- India’s principal scientific adviser Vijay Raghavan answered a series of questions on Twitter on the coronavirus disease, including the methodology used to test for Covid-19.
- Earlier in the day, the Centre clarified on the false reports of the possible extension of the 21-day long coronavirus lockdown in the country.
- India has reported 1,190 cases and 29 deaths due to the Sars-Cov-2 virus, which causes the deadly infection.
- Besides reduced demand because of the coronavirus pandemic, an oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia has contributed to the plunge in the price of crude.
- A section of social media users criticized the treatment of the workers after a video of the incident, which took place near a bus station, surfaced on Twitter purportedly showing people squatting in one corner of the road being sprayed with water.
- Bharat Electronics Ltd. has been asked to manufacture 30,000 ventilators in the next two months in collaboration with local manufacturers.
- An analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment in Delhi has revealed that morning and evening peaks in PM 2.5 (particulate matter 2.5, fine, respirable pollution particles) levels have flattened out.
- The Kerala chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) said that symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can be treated at home and hospitals with medication.
- “Several doctors are using hydroxychloroquine as self-medication to prevent Covid-19. Barman too took it,” said Nirmal Kumar Hazarika, Pratiksha Hospital’s medical superintendent.
- The missive was sent after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah expressed grave concern overexposing the migrants to health hazards during lockdown to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
- Kerala government is arranging for buses to take the migrants to their hometowns during lockdown; it took three hours for the police to convince the migrants that the message is fake.
- Odisha health secretary, the three most important pillars of the state’s containment strategy is active surveillance, risk-based testing, and quarantine of contacts of confirmed cases irrespective of symptoms.
- Dipanshu Kabra, Bilaspur inspector general of Police (IGP), said while speaking to HT Civil Lines police got information Pandey was distributing ration to a large number of people at his residence.
- The 21-day lockdown came into effect on March 25 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to the nation where he stressed on the need to break the chain of infection.
- Delhi Transport Corporation directed all regional managers and depot managers to comply with the lockdown measures taken in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
- The Consortium of National Law Universities has extended the last date to apply for Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2020.
- The Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICMAI) has started delivering webinars for students to help them keep up with studies at a time when all the classroom interactions have been cancelled.
- 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.
- Covid-19 pandemic, the Consortium of National Law Universities has extended the last date to apply for Common Law Admission Test (CLAT) 2020.
- Indian Navy has declared the results of the INET exam held for the recruitment of officers on its official website.
- Japan’s SoftBank Group, said it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to pursue a sale of its business and has cut its workforce amid the coronavirus outbreak.
- Despite the coronavirus cases growing daily, India will rise as the fastest growing economy among the G20 contries
- India’s banking sector is staring at a bumpy road ahead as COVID-19 will have a serious impact on banks’ loan growth, asset quality and earnings, said brokerages and experts.
- Top brokerages, including CLSA, HSBC and Morgan Stanley, have welcomed the raft of measures taken by the Reserve Bank of India to protect the economy and the financial system, saying the central bank may go for more rate cuts.
- The start of the domestic track and field competition could be pushed back by at least seven months because of the Covid-19 crisis, Indian athletics’ high performance director, Volker Herrmann, has said.
- US-based British comedian John Oliver screamed and gesticulated in the latest episode of his late-night talk show, shot in New York without a studio audience and broadcast earlier this month.
- The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) released an elaborate programme for the 2022 Birmingham Games without any mention of the shooting and archery competitions to be held in Chandigarh
- A senior official from India has resigned from his position of Representative of the UN Secretary-General for the investment of the assets of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund.
1. International News
- US President Donald Trump has said quarantining New York “will not be necessary”, after the state’s governor said doing so would be “preposterous”.
- Employees at a Tunisian factory are churning out 50,000 face masks a day and other protective medical gear after opting to go into lockdown at work.
- Malaysia’s Top Glove Corporation Bhd, which makes one in every five gloves globally, expects a product shortage as demand from Europe and the United States spikes because of the widening coronavirus outbreak is exceeding its capacity.
- Patrick Jones, a 49-year-old prisoner in Louisiana who was serving a 27-year prison term for a drug charge, became the first federal inmate to die from COVID-19, the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) announced late.
- In a buzzing economy, the outgoing salesperson is seen to be doing better than the reclusive boffin. In our open-plan offices, the butterfly who “brainstorms” in the pantry is regarded as a better team player than the taciturn Steppenwolf punching at his keyboard.
- The travel advisory issued late Saturday night by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was not the quarantine President Donald Trump had threatened, drawing a furious response from the governors, one of whom had called it a “declaration of war on states”.
- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will remain in self-isolation despite the end of the 14-day quarantine period dictated by his wife Sophie Gregoire testing positive for COVID-19.
- Johnson, who has described his symptoms as mild, is leading the government’s response to the crisis, chairing meetings by video conference.
- The death toll rose by 260 in a single day from 759, and the number of cases by 2,546 from 14,543. Alister Jack, secretary for Scotland in the Boris Johnson government, also announced his symptoms and self-isolation.
- The number of deaths late was 2,010, about a quarter of them in New York City, the country’s hardest-hit region, Johns Hopkins reported.
- New York remained the worst-hit US city, with governor Andrew Cuomo saying that the struggle to defeat the virus will take “weeks and weeks and weeks”.
- The Covid-19 pandemic has killed more than 20,000 people in Europe, according to a tally of official figures gathered by AFP
- The test, which is the size of a small toaster and uses molecular technology, also shows negative results within 13 minutes, the US-based lab said.
- he number of confirmed coronavirus cases continued to climb aggressively, finishing on Friday at 113,677 - up by well more than 20,000 over the previous day.
- As the new coronavirus continues to spread around the world, there are some important questions researchers and doctors – as well as policymakers and economists – are still trying to answer.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi underscored the need to enforce the restrictions, saying those who are violating the lockdown are “playing with their own life’.
- The number of coronavirus cases in the country crossed 1,000. However, as per the official figures released by the health ministry, the total number of Covid-19 cases in India stands at 979 which includes 867 active cases, 86 cases of recoveries and 25 deaths.
- The Odisha government has suggested the release of 1700 undertrials and convicts on parole to decongest the state’s jails and maintain social distancing norms as one of the several measures to stop the spread of Covid-19, the coronavirus disease.
- Mann Ki Baat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined that people should adhere to the lockdown ordered to contain the spread of coronavirus disease
- The Prime Minister urged people to take up old hobbies such as gardening and music during the lockdown to deal with social isolation.
- Kejriwal had urged the migrants to stay back in the city during the 21-day lockdown that went underway on March 25, pointing out that his government was serving lunch and dinner to over .400,000 people
- From emphasizing the need to follow the lockdown to maintaining social distancing, the Prime Minister assured that these preventive measures are India’s best bet to fight Covid-19.
- As a precautionary measure, all SpiceJet crew and staff who had been in direct contact with him have been asked to self-quarantine by staying at home for the next 14 days.
- The Union health ministry said out of the 979 cases, 867 were active Covid-19 cases, 86 people have been cured or discharged and one had migrated as of 10 am.
- The health authorities in the city weren’t immediately able to establish the source of infection for the doctor, who did not have any history of international travel but had given home consultation to a person who had returned from New Zealand.
- Social distancing does not mean ending social interaction. Social distancing should be increased and emotional gaps should be decreased, PM Modi said.
- Bihar Police Subordinate Service Commission (BPSSC) has postponed the sub-inspector (SI) main (written) exam under advertisement number 01/2019 due to lockdown imposed in the country to prevent further spread of coronavirus.
- Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has decided to donate one day salary of all the regular teaching and non- teaching employees of the University for the month of April 2020 in the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (also known as PM CARES) as contribution to fight against Coronavirus (COVID-19).
- State Bank of India (SBI) on March 27 reduced interest rates for reduced retail term deposit by 20-50 bps across tenors, the bank said in a statement.
- Japanese star Naomi Osaka says she’s disappointed not to compete at the Tokyo Olympics this year but supports the decision to postpone the event to 2021.
- A two-year leadership ban slapped on Steve Smith after the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa ended, leaving the master batsman free to skipper Australia again.
- The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) contributed Rs 51 crore to Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund to help fight the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
1. International News
- A US-based lab has unveiled a portable test that can tell if someone has COVID-19 in as little as five minutes, it said in a statement.
- The Chinese city of 11 million people that was Ground Zero for what became the global coronavirus pandemic partly reopened, after more than two months of almost total isolation.
- China has retreated from spreading conspiracy theories online in the developing world alleging US involvement in the coronavirus pandemic after finding limited traction, a US official said.
- The United States announced $174 million financial assistance to 64 countries including $2.9 million to India to help them fight the coronavirus pandemic.
- Italy, Spain, Iran, France, and the United States account for the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths besides China.
- With more than 300,000 people infected in Europe alone, the disease shows few signs of slowing, and has already cast the world into a recession, economists say.
- Bolsonaro’s accusations were the latest broadside in an ugly battle with Brazil’s governors, who have chafed at the president’s view that protecting the economy takes priority over social distancing measures to combat the spread of the highly contagious virus.
- US officials say they plan to keep sanctioning Iran to try to force it to curb its nuclear, missile and regional activities despite the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed 2,234 people in Iran.
- Holland America Line said in a statement that the MS Zaandam, previously on a South American cruise, was trying to transit the Panama Canal and make its way to Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Harry and Meghan rocked the royal family with their January announcement that they will no longer represent the monarchy as they pursue a new, financially independent life. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will formally step back from royal duties on March 31.
- Briggs took his phone, sealed in a Ziplock bag, into the hospital room and cued up his mother’s favorite songs. He put it next to her ear and noticed her wiggle, ever so slightly, to the music.
- The American president also used for the first time war-time powers under the Defense Production Act, under increasing pressure from state governors, to force a private company, General Motors, to ramp up production of ventilators needed to treat severely ill Covid-19 patients.
- While New York remained the worst-hit city in the U.S., Americans braced for worsening conditions elsewhere, with worrisome infection numbers being reported in New Orleans, Chicago and Detroit.
- The Odisha Government announced that it is readying to set up the largest Covid-19 hospital in India due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus in the country.
- Amid the growing coronavirus pandemic, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in the exercise of the powers conferred by Section 26B of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 (23 of 1940), has declared hydroxychloroquine (HCQS) drug as a schedule H1 drug– which means it can’t be sold without the prescription of a registered medical practitioner.
- Cognizant Technology Solutions will pay an extra 25 percent of base pay to some employees in India and the Philippines as a majority of its offshore workforce work from home amid the coronavirus pandemic, taking on extra work, Chief Executive Officer Brian Humphries said.
- After allowing to set up temporary medical facility/quarantine campuses for isolation in Navodaya Vidyalayas, the Minister for Human Resource Development, Mr. Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has directed Kendriya Vidyalayas to provide their buildings to local administration for temporary housing of suspected COVID-19 cases.
- Odisha Assembly Speaker SN Patro asked all the Vidhan Sabha employees to go on home quarantine after the state’s third COVID-19 patient came in contact with one of the staffers.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and appreciated the steps taken by the state government to prevent the spread of COVID-19, sources close to the Chief Minister said.
- Uttar Pradesh from Delhi-UP border in the morning while the UP State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) continued to ferry them to their destinations from different areas of Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar.
- Kerala has reported 165 confirmed Covid-19 cases so far, including 11 who have been cured, according to the Union health ministry’s latest data.
- The 21-day lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus has forced jobless workers and daily wage earners to walk home in different states in the absence of any transport.
- ICMR and Pune’s National Institute of Virology, research organizations in India taking Covid-19 challenge head-on including the IISc, National Institute of Immunology and the Translational Health Science Technology Institute.
- One prototype has been converted into the isolation ward now. If the prototype is finalized, the ministry is planning the same for every zone of railways.
- These measures include a three-month moratorium on Discoms making payment to generating companies (Gencos) and transmission, and no penalty on late payment.
- NEET exam has been postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic. The NEET UG exam which is held for admission to undergraduate medical and dental courses will not be held on May 3.
- No. Bihar Board matriculation result will not be declared today. BSEB spokesperson has issued a statement refuting the false information being spread by some news portals and channels.
- National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIEIT) has extended the last date to apply for the recruitment of Scientific Assistant and Scientist ‘B’ due to the covid-19 outbreak. A notice regarding this decision has been uploaded on the official website.
- HDFC Bank, the largest and most profitable private sector bank, has been seen the most consistent performer on the bourses for many years. It has delivered manifold returns since its listing in 1995.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cut interest rates on March 27 in a raft of emergency measures to shield the economy from the spread of the coronavirus.
- Four Russian athletes, including two former Olympic champions, have been charged with doping based on evidence from the bombshell McLaren report, the Athletics Integrity Unit (IAU) said.
- England’s Premier League, Professional Footballers’ Association and Football League are steadying themselves for some “difficult decisions” amid the coronavirus outbreak as they try to see if there is a way of restarting the season.
- Atletico Madrid became the latest La Liga club to request labour authorities to allow them to cut player and staff salaries while football is suspended in Spain due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- Former Union Minister and Samajwadi Party founding member Beni Prasad Verma died in Lucknow. He was 79.
1. International News
- The US now has more confirmed cases of coronavirus than any other country, with more than 85,500 positive tests.
- The United States Space Force launched its first national security mission, sending an ultra-secure military communication satellite into orbit even as the coronavirus pandemic paralyzes much of the country.
- EU leaders gave eurozone finance ministers a fortnight to come up with a stronger response to the economic havoc wrought by the coronavirus pandemic.
- Trump administration agreed to new measures to restrict the global supply of chips to China’s Huawei Technologies, sources familiar with the matter said, as the White House ramps up criticism of China over coronavirus.
- After experiencing mild symptoms yesterday, the Prime Minister was tested for coronavirus on the personal advice of England’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty”.
- Although global health bodies such as the World Health Organisation have hailed India’s move to initiate the 21-day lockdown, experts suggest working in isolation will not solve the Covid-19 problem at the macro level.
- The early phone conversation between Xi and Trump was held in the backdrop of Covid-19 cases in the US surging past China’s and Beijing’s late-night decision to close down its borders to foreigners amid fears of a second wave of infection coming in from abroad.
- A week ago, the number of confirmed cases in the US was 8,000. It has dangerously surged 10 times in the span of a week.
- The findings present what is the first significant global projection, taking into account population demography, social contact patterns and health care infrastructure as well as the infection and mortality rates seen in the Covid-19 pandemic till now.
- There were 83,507 cases in the United States by the end of, according to Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus tracker, nearly 2,000 more than China’s.
- The shop in Hanoi has sold around 50 coronavirus-themed burgers a day, despite the growing numbers of businesses in Vietnam which have been forced to close because of the virus.
- China, Italy, the US, Spain, and Germany are now the five worst-hit nations in terms of confirmed cases. Spain reported 498 new fatalities as its death toll climbed to 4,145, while the Netherlands confirmed more than 1,000 new cases -and 78 single-day deaths.
- The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre has asked its ministers to take charge of their states and play the role of leaders in defeating the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the financial package announced by his government to deal with the impact of the coronavirus lockdown will go a long way in ensuring food and livelihood security of the poor.
- Union Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi approves Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in February 2020.
- UK Home Secretary Priti Patel is keen to close the UK borders to passengers from global COVID-19 hotspots such as the US, Iran, and China, similar to moves taken by India, according to a UK media report.
- Residents at a residential complex in Mumbai are encouraging just one resident to go outside the society to buy essentials for multiple families.
- The law board had tweeted that “Muslims are recommended to offer Zuhur at home instead of praying Jumah at mosques. DON’T come out for congregational prayers.”
- The global meet will see Delhi chief minister address around 35 top city leaders and share experiences of battling Covid-19
- The DGCA extended the suspension of all domestic, non-scheduled and private flight operations till April 14 from March 31.
- The figure was more than the number of people who watched the Indian Premier League (IPL) finals last year, which stood at 133 million.
- US-bound flights along with Europe, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Kabul, Male, Kathmandu, Bahrain, Doha, Sharjah, Tel Aviv, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi will commence after April 14.
- Union home secretary has suggested that states and UTs need to explore measures by involving various agencies, including NGOs, to provide basic amenities such as food, clean drinking water, and shelter.
- The US-bound flights along with Europe, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Kabul, Male, Kathmandu, Bahrain, Doha, Sharjah, Tel Aviv, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi will commence after April 14.
- Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, have left the metros across the country after losing jobs and unable today for food and rent after the government enforced strict rules to lock down the country in an effort to fight Covid-19 spread.
- The Andhra Pradesh government decided to cancel the annual examinations for classes VI to IX and promote all students to the next class.
- Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has invited online application for ITI apprenticeship. Aspirants can apply online at rac.gov.in. The last date to apply is April 3.
- UPSC CSE prelims 2020 previous years question: With just two months left for the examination, the aspirants must have started their preparation for the examination.
- JEE, Shilpa Khanna, physics teacher in a private Chandigarh school, says, “JEE is a national level exam. While deciding its dates, NTA will have to check the availability of the operational structure in examination centres and the release of admit cards.
- RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das is addressing the media as the country is in a third day of pan-India lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
- Indian Bank has launched five special emergency loans for large corporates, medium enterprises, MSMEs, salaried and pensioners as a support to its customers effecting through economic slump and lockdown because of COVID-19 pandemic.
- Athletes who had already qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics before they were postponed will keep their places when the showpiece takes place in 2021, sources told AFP.
- Barcelona said they were slashing salaries to counter the financial fall-out from the coronavirus although the Spanish giants did not specify if all of its employees would be affected by the move.
- The Appointment Committee of the Cabinet approved the appointment of two Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers Krishan Mohan Prasad and Satish Kumar Gupta as members of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
- Walmart announced that it has promoted Sameer Aggarwal as Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of Best Price, Walmart India which is effective from April 1, 2020.
1. International News
- The Trump administration struck a deal with Senate Democrats and Republicans on a historic rescue package with more than $2 trillion in spending and tax breaks to bolster the hobbled U.S.
- Do we still know enough about the Sars-Cov-2 virus that has brought world superpowers to their knees? As the question lingered, Spain’s death toll surpassed that of China, where the virus surfaced late last year.
- The number of deaths caused by the novel coronavirus rose to 1,031 in the United States, with 68,572 confirmed cases nationwide, a tracker run by the Johns Hopkins University showed.
- In an unexpected reversal, the Australian accused of murdering 51 Muslim worshippers in last year’s mass shooting at two New Zealand mosques pleaded guilty to all charges.
- Police minister Bheki Cele announced the charges during a press conference detailing the enforcement of an incoming lockdown meant to curb the spread of coronavirus.
- Kamal Khera, an Indo-Canadian MP who has tested positive for Covid-19, was previously a nurse by profession and had returned to nursing after a call from the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario to help out “at this critical time”.
- The ability to quickly respond to the frantic questions relating to Covid-19, public safety measures taken in India and Canada and restrictions on international travel, has become particularly critical given the impact the pandemic has had, especially with nearly 1.6 million persons of Indian-origin living in Canada.
- The legislation was still being drafted and there were few details on all the provisions agreed to, especially related to the specific terms of the bailout and loan terms for companies.
- More than 800 people have died from Covid-19 in the US so far and some 60,000 people have tested positive. The surge in cases has prompted the WHO to warn that the US could potentially be the next epicenter of the outbreak.
- India’s economy is poised to shrink next quarter and full-year expansion set to suffer markedly, as a three-week nationwide lockdown starting brings activity to a standstill, according to economists including from ING Groep NV and Deutsche Bank AG.
- Amid the impact on the construction sector due to Coronavirus epidemic, Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar, the Union Minister of State (Mos) for Labour and Employment, has issued an advisory under Section 60 of the Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Act, 1996
- Amid the growing outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in India, National Health Authority (NHA), which is responsible for the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJA)
- The novel Coronavirus pandemic is the biggest threat to the world and India too is putting up a fight against it by calling a nationwide lockdown for 21 days.
- Odisha Chief Minister (CM) Naveen Patnaik launched “Mo Jeeban (My Life) Programme” and urged people to take a pledge to stay indoors. The program was launched due to the Coronavirus (COVID- 19) outbreak.
- The people thronged their respective local police stations in large numbers requesting that arrangements be made to send them to their native places.
- The government has imposed a lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus disease Covid-19. For people facing difficulties due to this lockdown, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today announced a relief package.
- AP Siddiqui, registrar of the university, issued the suspension order for the teacher. It said the faculty member had tweeted that all students “except 15 non-Muslims have been passed as they did not support” the Citizenship Amendment Act protests.
- In an effort to prevent the spread of Sars-CoV-2, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to all citizens to stay inside their homes till April 14. Already, India has recorded 13 deaths and 649 cases
- Hospitalised patients may also develop gastrointestinal symptoms, as around 5% may suffer from diarrhea, and another 4% experience nausea and vomiting, according to a study conducted on 191 patients in Wuhan.
- Reacting to the novel coronavirus being called ‘Chinese Virus’, the spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in India said that after the outbreak, the Chinese government has timely adopted in an “open, transparent and responsible manner” the “most comprehensive, rigorous and thorough measures” to control the epidemic, provided updates to WHO and the international community.
- Under PM-KISAN, the government provides income support of Rs 6000 a year to farmers with a valid enrolment, paid in three equal cash transfers of Rs 2000 -- one every four months.
- The Joint Entrance Exam Council has extended the last date to register for Uttar Pradesh Joint Entrance Examination (UPJEE) till April 20.
- The National Testing Agency (NTA) will not release the admit card or hall ticket for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2020 undergraduate exam
- The Joint Entrance Exam Council has extended the last date to register for Uttar Pradesh Joint Entrance Examination (UPJEE) till April 20.
- Six students of Lalit Narayan Mithila University (LNMU) secured the top five ranks in the state class 12 examinations in both Commerce and Science streams, the results of which were declared.
- Union Finance &Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman publicized necessitated relief measures for statutory and regulatory compliance matters related to Income Tax, GST, Customs & Central Excise, Corporate Affairs, Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (IBC) Fisheries, Banking Sector and Commerce.
- The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Somali Football Federation (SFF) have announced the passing away of Somali legend Abdulkadir Mohamed Farah after suffering from coronavirus.
- With the 2020 Olympics postponed until 2021, there are fears the delay will shatter the gold medal hopes of many ageing athletes.
- Thomas Bach, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president, said fresh dates for the 2021 Olympics will be decided by a task force comprising the IOC’s Coordination Commission and the organising committee of the Games in Tokyo.
- Automobili Pininfarina has announced that Michael Perschke has stepped down as CEO with immediate effect.
1. International News
- White House have reached a deal on a $2 trillion stimulus package for the US economy and millions of Americans ravaged by the coronavirus crisis, the top Republican lawmaker said early.
- The UK announced the extension of all expiring or expired visas of foreign nationals, including Indians, who are unable to return home due to the coronavirus pandemic until May 31.
- The UN Security Council met for the first time in its history via videoconference due to the coronavirus crisis but diplomats said the meeting was not without technical difficulties.
- Stanford University biophysicist and Nobel laureate Michael Levitt that new coronavirus is set to disappear soon as the world observes social distancing has given a booster shot to the world that is currently reeling under the pandemic.
- Italy records 743 deaths, Spain 514 in just 24 hours; US registers stunning one-day rise in cases by 10,000 as global Covid-19 figures race past another grim milestone.
- The agreement, which followed five days of protracted and acrimonious negotiations that played out publicly, paves the way for the swift passage of legislation through both chambers of Congress in a few days,
- US President Donald Trump has vowed to make the medication widely available to fight the pandemic, calling the drug a “game-changer” in the treatment of the coronavirus.
- The hantavirus report came as China is currently grappling with coronavirus which has resulted in the death of more than 3,000 people in the country.
- Trump, who is keen to get his reelection campaign back on track, said that social distancing has caused too much pain to the US economy, prompting Congress to debate a historic rescue package.
- The plasma infusion approach would give people a temporary shot of someone else’s antibodies that are short-lived and require repeated doses.
- The extension comes as some relief to Indians whose visas were about to expire in the near future but were stranded due to the inability to travel out of the UK due to restrictions imposed over the coronavirus pandemic.
- Life is no better in Spain, which reported more than 400 deaths over the last 24 hours. The grim numbers and the lockdown across Spain has made anxiety levels run high.
- The disease symptoms are headache, dizziness, chills fever, muscle pain, and stomach problems, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, followed by sudden onset of respiratory distress and low blood pressure.
- PM Boris Johnson declared the situation created by the coronavirus pandemic as a ‘national emergency’.
- Kolkata-based industrialist Harshavardhan Neotia has offered 30 luxury bungalows in South 24 Parganas to the state government to be used in the fight to contain the novel coronavirus crisis.
- The Centre’s top law officer, attorney general KK Venugopal, digitally scanned 591 of his antiquarian book collection dating from the 17th century and uploaded them on the website www.kkvlibrary.com to make it available to everyone.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the weekly cabinet meeting at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg in Delhi.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants the G-20 conference tomorrow to turn the battle against the deadly Sars-CoV-2 pathogen into a global fight where participant countries pool in their medical knowledge and resources to block the spread of contagion, people familiar with the developments said.
- The Maharashtra government had announced a complete lockdown in the state on Monday, a day before the 21-day clamped nationwide by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- Experts say that this will only buy time by impeding the spread Covid-19, which could be accelerated again once the curbs are lifted.
- Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray issued a video appeal a day after people came out on the streets to buy food and other things as the state reported the number of Covid-19 jumped to 116.
- Announcing an unprecedented three-week national lockdown, which will be “akin to a curfew”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed citizens to stay at home, and not come out for the next 21 days.
- Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal reiterated the need to observe social distancing and urged people to stay indoors at all cost.
- So far, the only way to apply for a curfew pass was to physically go to the offices of deputy commissioners of police and district magistrates and fill up application forms.
- Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) declared the result of the Class 12 board examination on its official website. Students who have appeared in the board examination can check their results online at onlinebseb.in or biharboardonline.bihar.gov.in.
- Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) has declared the result of Class 12 board or intermediate examination.
- Nurture the fractured real sector to health and only a healthy financial sector can make that happen.
- IBA has made a five-point wish-list for the consideration of the RBI, and the request to defer term-loan installments for six months tops that charter of demands.
- The postponement of the Tokyo Olympics due to the coronavirus pandemic will have “no impact” on the Paris Games, which will go ahead as scheduled in “summer 2024”, the head of the organising committee Tony Estanguet told AFP.
- Indian-origin American author Ruchika Tomar is named as the winner of the annual PEN/Hemingway Award 2020 for her 1st novel (debut) ”A Prayer for Travelers”.
- Zoya Akhter honoured with IIFTC Tourism Impact Award 2020 during the 8th India International Film Tourism Conclave (IIFTC) held in Mumbai, Maharashtra on March 5-7, 2020.
- Private sector lender IndusInd Bank Managing Director (MD) & Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ramesh Sobti, 70 years old, retired.
1. International News
- Alarmed at people continuing to gather in public spaces and not taking social distancing seriously enough, Prime Minister Boris Johnson placed the UK under strict curfew, allowing people to leave homes for only four specified reasons.
- The New York City region has emerged as the new “epicenter” of the outbreak accounting for nearly 5% of cases worldwide and the toll of US fatalities crossed 400 as President Donald Trump
- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States was cutting $1 billion in aid to Afghanistan, voicing disappointment that rival leaders pressed by him on a visit failed to form an inclusive government.
- The number of deaths from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy has grown by 602 to 6,078, the head of the Civil Protection Agency said, an 11% increase but the smallest rise in numerical terms since, suggesting a clear downward trend.
- The lockdown of Wuhan and then the rest of Hubei had effectively restricted the movements of nearly 60 million people, an unprecedented step, which experts said helped in controlling the spread of the infection.
- US Justice Department said the operators of the website “coronavirusmedicalkit.com” were engaged “in a wire fraud scheme seeking to profit from the confusion and widespread fear surrounding COVID-19”.
- Adding to the urgency of the crisis facing many American businesses large and small and individuals and families, US Senate failed to agree on a massive $1.8 trillion federal relief and stimulus package.
- Merkel went into quarantine at home after being informed that a doctor who had administered a vaccination to her had tested positive for the new coronavirus.
- The foreign ministry’s offer of help comes soon after India took part in a Beijing-led video conference over the weekend where Chinese experts shared their epidemic prevention experience with officials from South Asian countries.
- Chinese mainland, Hong Kong has managed to stave off a runaway outbreak of the deadly virus partly thanks to the public overwhelmingly embracing face masks, hand hygiene and social distancing.
- President Ashraf Ghani and his main rival in last September’s presidential polls, Abdullah Abdullah, have both declared themselves the country’s president in dueling inauguration ceremonies earlier this month.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to share a link on information regarding coronavirus in sign language.
- The Delhi government announced an allocation of Rs 7,704 crore for the health sector in its budget, with approving Rs 2,578 crore for upgrading and expanding 16 hospitals.
- The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the country’s apex biomedical research body, approved 10 more private laboratories including Dr Lal PathLabs
- The Andhra Pradesh government on Monday called for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged irregularities in land dealings in and around the Amaravati capital region during the Telugu Desam Party regime.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation today at 8 pm on the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected over 490 people in India.
- The executive director of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Michael J Ryan, said that India has a tremendous capacity to deal the coronavirus outbreak situation as it has experience of eradicating two pandemics, namely small-pox and polio.
- Indian authorities are providing help to stranded nationals across the world. The country has also sent aid to Italy, which has recorded more Covid-19 deaths than China.
- The government late notified stoppage of all incoming passenger traffic on all 107 immigration check posts (ICPs) as the country insulated itself to check the spread of coronavirus.
- China is reporting a drop in the number of new Covid-19 infections even among those who have arrived from abroad, European nations and the United States are reporting a large number of fresh Covid-19 cases on a daily basi
- All these labs have fulfilled ICMR conditions mandatory for private facilities to collect samples and test them for coronavirus.
- The Punjab government on Monday imposed curfew across the state and sanctioned Rs 20 crore from the Chief Minister’s relief fund for the Covid-19 crisis.
- In view of the coronavirus outbreak, the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has released an official notification regarding the postponement of the medical examination scheduled for the recruitment in various forces working under Union Home Ministry.
- The HRD Ministry directed Navodaya schools in the country to make their unoccupied hostels available to respective district administration to be used as any kind of medical facility in view of the coronavirus outbreak.
- A country’s economy is determined by the direction in which its currency is headed versus the benchmark USD.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on March 23 said it has preponed the second tranche of purchase of Rs 15,000 crore of government securities under open market operations (OMOs) to March 26. The OMO purchase auction was earlier scheduled for March 30.
- UEFA announced that it has postponed the Champions League, Europa League and women’s Champions League finals, originally scheduled for May, due to the coronavirus pandemic, with no new date given.
1. International News
- 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.
- 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.
- No more play dates, no more picnics in the park with friends, no more pickup games of basketball.
- 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.
- Indian authorities are providing help to stranded nationals across the world. The country has also sent aid to Italy, which has recorded more Covid-19 deaths than China.
- GOP senators — Mike Lee and Mitt Romney — to place themselves into quarantine, stepping away from negotiations as the Senate worked on a $1.4 trillion economic rescue package for the coronavirus crisis.
- 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.
- More than 325 people have died and 25,000 have been infected in the outbreak that has spread to all parts of the country, with New York, California and Washington states hit the hardest.
- The assurance was conveyed to the Indian high commission in the context of anxiety and worse among many Indians who are unable to return after New Delhi stopped incoming flights.
- Signalling its intent for early closure of the session, the government has listed the Finance Bill for passage in the Lok Sabha. Last week, it was dropped from the list of business while four other bills were added to the government’s agenda.
- 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.
- 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.
- The most important thing, to my mind is that so far for every case we have been able to trace the reason why that person has been infected, says Dr. Anurag Agarwal, director of the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology.
- 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.
- 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.
- States across the country have directed ASHA and Anganwadi or rural child care workers to speak to families in their areas, check for symptoms, and advise them about precautions in dealing with the Covid-19.
- From requesting flyers to keep a distance of minimum one meter at check-in counters, waiting for areas and during security checks, the DGCA also asked authorities to provide sanitizers for staff and passengers at the aircraft gates.
- Delhi has announced an unprecedented shutdown till March 31 to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), announcing curbs on vehicular movement, sealing of borders and the closure of offices.
- The Delhi government told a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad that it was going to amend its prison rules to provide the options of special parole and furlough.
- Biocon chairperson Kiran Mazumdar Shaw says moving ahead, the government will need to have a preparedness plan for quarantine centers, dedicated Covid-19 hospitals with ICU beds.
- 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.
- 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 essential services such as cash deposits and withdrawals, clearing of cheques, remittances and government transactions.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
1. International News
- The Italian region of Lombardy has introduced stricter measures in a bid to tackle the spread of coronavirus.
- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison warns the country could see lockdowns in a bid to curb coronavirus.
- US President Donald Trump has sent a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un detailing a plan to develop ties, state media reported citing Kim’s powerful sister, but she warned their good personal relationship is not enough, as a hiatus in disarmament talks drags on.
- Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Twitter that he spoke with his US counterpart Donald Trump and thanked him for not closing their countries’ shared border.
- US vice-president Mike Pence’s staff has tested positive for the coronavirus, a statement from the White House confirmed, adding that neither the President nor the vice-president had close contact with the staffer.
- The Pakistan government suspended all international flight operations on Saturday and reduced the number of trains running in the country.
- With only 67 deaths from nearly 20,000 cases as of March 20, Germany is far better placed than Italy, which has reported 4,032 deaths and over 47,000 cases.
- KLM flight 871 carrying some 100 Indians from Amsterdam was turned back because of confusion over the interpretation of travel advisories issued by the government.
- The announcement by chancellor Rishi Sunak is the latest initiative to deal with the challenge, for which the government already committed over £330 billion pounds last week.
- South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectiles were fired around 6:45 and 6:50 am from an area around the county of Sonchon, western North Korea.
- Widespread use of Twitter by communist officials of China during this crisis emphasises the contradiction in officials from governments that deny their citizens access to social media.
- The WHO has been charged with praising China’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic despite accusations of an initial cover-up, which included threatening whistleblowers with arrest on account of talking about the pandemic that has since then infected around 250,000 people and killed at least 10,000.
- A company release said production will resume in the week beginning April 20 subject to a review of what it called “rapidly-changing circumstances”.
- Rural areas in various European countries have seen a flood of people from capitals and major cities, intending to stay there while the virus challenge is overcome or blows over.
- Bihar and Maharashtra reported two more Covid-19 linked deaths taking the total number of fatalities related to the disease to six across the country.
- Urban Affairs ministry issued a message to the directors of all Metro rail companies across the country asking them to suspend services on all operational networks till March 31.
- Chhattisgarh police had said on Saturday that more than a dozen security personnel were reported missing after the encounter while 14 injured jawans were injured and were brought for treatment to Raipur, about 400 km north of the site of the fighting.
- Indian Railways announced that in the wake of coronavirus outbreak, all outstation trains will stand canceled up till March 31.
- Here are today’s top news, analysis and opinion curated for you at this hour. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.
- The order issued by the ministry of railways states goods trains will continue to run to ensure essential while some “bare minimum” suburban rail services will also continue.
- According to the Maharashtra Health Department, six out of 10 new cases come from Mumbai while 4 people tested positive in Pune.
- SBS Nagar civil surgeon, Dr. Rajinder Bhatia confirmed the development saying that the patients were already isolated at hospitals.
- “Of the 27 positive cases in UP, 11 have been fully cured and we must ensure that these cases don’t go up,” said Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
- The Trinamool’s top brass plans to skip the Budget session when the government and the Opposition parties are set to have a fresh discussion over the latter’s demand for early curtailment of the ongoing session.
- Due to low passenger bookings and in view of the ‘janata curfew’, Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) has cancelled all trains originating from Saturday midnight till Sunday 10 pm
- DCP New Delhi said “We are on the roads for your safety. Please stay at Home!! Policemen giving flowers to motorists requesting them to stay at home. Please support us!!”
- The Bihar man’s death takes the number of fatalities due to Covid-19 to six in India. A 63-year-man died from Covid-19 in Mumbai in Maharashtra
- High school and intermediate examinations have been postponed in Uttarakhand till further notice in the wake of surging cases of COVID-19.
- In a preventive measure to contain the spread of coronavirus, the teachers and non-teaching staff of universities, colleges and schools are permitted to work from home till March 31
- Industry body Assocham has sought a blanket year-long moratorium by banks on debt repayment for both corporates and individuals to deal with the economic fallout of Covid-19.
- Madhya Pradesh (MP) Chief Minister (CM) Kamal Nath submitted his resignation letter to MP Governor Lalji Tandon at Raj Bhawan, Bhopal, MP, ahead of the scheduled floor test ordered by the Supreme Court (SC) in the State Assembly.
1. International News
- US Defence Secretary Mark Esper held a telephonic conversation with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and praised India’s COVID-19 initiative for South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries, the Pentagon said.
- A staffer in the office of US Vice President Mike Pence, the point man for Washington’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, has tested positive for the illness, a spokeswoman said.
- The World Health Organization welcomed the news that the Chinese city where the new coronavirus first emerged in December had for the first time reported no new cases in 24 hours.
- Prime Minister Imran Khan said Pakistan cannot afford to implement nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country.
- Widespread use of Twitter by communist officials of China during this crisis emphasizes the contradiction in officials from governments that deny their citizens access to social media.
- Reports and some Twitter users, however, said the swans have always around in the canals of Burano, an island in the greater Venice metropolitan area.
- The WHO has been charged with praising China’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic despite accusations of an initial cover-up, which included threatening whistleblowers with arrest on account of talking about the pandemic that has since then infected around 250,000 people and killed at least 10,000.
- A company release said production will resume in the week beginning April 20 subject to a review of what it called “rapidly-changing circumstances”.
- Rural areas in various European countries have seen a flood of people from capitals and major cities, intending to stay there while the virus challenge is overcome or blows over.
- The Afghan government blamed the attack on the Taliban, with whom the United States signed a peace deal last month for an eventual pullout of foreign forces from Afghanistan in exchange for reduced violence by the militant group.
- Iran’s Deputy Health Minister said that 19,644 people are now known to have been infected from the coronavirus in the country.
- Children of such professionals will be allowed in school to enable them to continue working in the essential services amid the widening coronavirus epidemic.
- China’s fight against the coronavirus, however, continues at the borders. It is a focused battle against overseas travelers, some of whom could be returning to the country with the disease, and have the potential to spread it in communities.
- ompeo said on Twitter that he was working closely with his Mexican counterpart “on travel restrictions that balance protecting our citizens from the further transmission of #COVID19.
- The total number of coronavirus cases in the national capital rose to 20, according to the Delhi Health Department.
- Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is the latest in a line of measures being taken by public health organizations to combat misinformation about coronavirus.
- A woman aged around 23 years was detected with coronavirus in West Bengal on Friday, taking the total number of positive cases to three.
- Government and private organizations have announced stopping their services to follow a Janta Curfew in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to the people of the country to stay at home for a day.
- Coronavirus update - The railways said passengers will be refunded 100% of trains are canceled between March 21 and April 15 this year and those who do not wish to travel on operational trains also to get their money back.
- Among the 258 people are 39 foreign nationals and also includes the four deaths reported from Delhi, Karnataka, Punjab, and Maharashtra so far.
- Coronavirus in India: The woman, who is in her early forties, is critical and on a ventilator in an ICU at Bharati Hospital in Pune, said a city official.
- RSS general secretary Suresh Bhaiyaji Joshi said in a statement that keeping in mind Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for a public curfew/, shakhas will be held before 6.30 am or after 9.30 pm.
- Coronavirus in India: Adityanath had formed a high-level committee under the state finance minister Suresh Khanna, comprising agriculture and labor ministers, to decide the nature of the assistance to the laborers.
- A 50-year-old person, who traveled to Mecca, was admitted to chest hospital in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and tested positive for Sars-Cov-2
- Coronavirus in India, India saw the sharpest increase in the number of Covid-19 cases on a single day, with a total of 63 cases being confirmed within 24 hours by the health ministry.
- The new policy says asymptomatic direct and high-risk contacts of an infected person should be tested between the fifth day and 14th day of coming into contact with the patient.
- The booklet is the latest in a line of measures being taken by public health organizations to combat misinformation about coronavirus.
- The Prime Minister had in his address to the nation asked people to stay off the roads and public places during the Janta Curfew, which will be in place for 14 hours from 7 am to 9 pm.
- How the positive test of Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor, who returned from London last week, has raised the specter of infection in Delhi’s hallowed halls of power.
- A day after addressing the nation on the issue, and emphasizing the importance of social distancing and a people’s curfew (on Sunday), Modi interacted with all CMs for the first time on the pandemic through a video conference.
- Textile officials said as situation evolves, so does demand. “Currently, demand is for 8 lakh bodysuits and N95 masks of the material. Orders for these have been placed,” said the official.
- India can test 10,000 samples every day and experts say if this capacity remains underutilised, community transmission could go undetected.
- The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) launched a helpline number for students to create awareness on the coronavirus pandemic.
- National Testing Agency has postponed the release of JEE Main admit Card 2020 that was scheduled to be released on March 20.
- Delhi subordinate services selection board (DSSSB) has declared the result for Assistant (primary) teacher on its official website at dsssbonline.nic.in
- IIT and AIIMS alumni Debayan Saha and Shashi Ranjan have developed a device called ‘Airlens Minus Corona’ that will travel on streets to sterilise the city.
- Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has deferred the personality test/ interview for civil services examination 2019 in view of the coronavirus outbreak in India. The interview was scheduled from March 23 to April 3, 2020.
- IDFC First Bank CEO V Vaidyanathan sells shares worth Rs 58 cr to close loan availed by him.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), appointed R Gandhi (former Deputy Governor, RBI) and Ananth Narayan Gopalakrishnan (Associate Professor, SP Jain Institute of Management and Research) as additional directors on the board of YES Bank.
- Euro 2020 has been pushed back 12 months to June 11 to July 11 next year to clear the way for suspended domestic competitions to wrap up if conditions allow.
- Boston Celtics star Marcus Smart said he has the new coronavirus and urged young people to take the threat seriously and practice social distancing.
- Organizers have asked crowds to be restrained, but have been imprecise about what that means. Greek officials last week stopped a relay there on the second day and did not resume because of crowd size.
- The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) issued new guidelines to facilitate continued testing amid the constraints of the coronavirus pandemic.
- US Olympic chiefs said Friday more time was needed to determine the fate of the Tokyo Olympics as a major US sports federation called for the Games to be postponed over the coronavirus pandemic.
- Indian mountaineer Satyarup Siddhanta hails from Kolkata, West Bengal, 37 years old, entered ‘Limca Book of Records’ (LBR) for his extraordinary achievements, as the first Indian to climb the highest volcanoes of each of the 7 continents.
- Justice Bhushan P Dharmadhikari was sworn-in as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court by Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.
1. International News
- Spain has ordered all hotels in its territory to close to help stem the spread of coronavirus, under a new measure announced in the state official bulletin.
- The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 10,491 cases of coronavirus, an increase of 3,404 cases from its previous count, and said the death toll had risen by 53 to 150.
- China marked a major milestone in its battle against the coronavirus pandemic as it recorded zero domestic infections for the first time since the outbreak emerged, but a spike in imported cases threatened its progress
- Italy has become the deadliest center of the COVID19 outbreak. Its number of coronavirus cases rose to 41,035, which includes 5,322 new cases.
- President Donald Trump is scrapping this year’s G7 summit at Camp David near Washington due to the coronavirus crisis and will instead hold the event by video conference, the White House said.
- The US has recorded more than 14,000 cases of new coronavirus infection, 205 of them fatal, according to a Johns Hopkins University tracker.
- Argentina said it would go on a “preventative and compulsory” lockdown from Friday until March 31 in an effort to contain the coronavirus.
- With over 242,000 infections and nearly 10,000 deaths, the coronavirus epidemic has stunned the world and drawn comparisons with painful periods such as World War Two, the 2008 financial crisis and the 1918 Spanish flu.
- Coronavirus cases have been reported in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The CDC figures do not necessarily reflect cases reported by the states.
- Italy reached the bleak milestone the same day that Wuhan, the Chinese city where the coronavirus first emerged three months ago, recorded no new infections, a sign that the communist country’s draconian lockdowns were a powerful method to stop the virus’ spread.
- Coronavirus update: Lowering the interest rate was among new plans of the Boris Johnson government to deal with the growing scale of the challenge, including publishing a new bill in the House of Commons to provide more emergency powers to authorities.
- Stepping up efforts to prevent the spread of coronavirus, the Telangana government decided to identify those who had come to the state from abroad after March 1 and also extend the closure of cinema halls and other establishments till the month-end.
- The mother of the 23-year-old woman, who was gang-raped and fatally assaulted in December 2012,
- India reported its fourth coronavirus death while the total numberof people who tested positive for the highly contagious Novel Coronavirus rose to 173,
- In an apparent bid to avoid a ‘Hindu’ backlash, especially, when the next assembly polls in the state are due in two years times,
- Madhya Pradesh all but certain, state assembly speaker Narmada Prasad Prajapati late accepted the resignations of the remaining 16 rebel Congress MLAs who have been in Bengaluru since March 9.
- The 2012 Delhi gang rape had sparked widespread protests across the country, a massive global outrage and led to toughening of laws against sex offenders in India.
- About 7,000 people have been identified in India, and are under observation, as part of contact tracing of all the positive cases.
- The Delhi government has shut all educational institutions, weekly markets, cinema halls, gyms, nightclubs and spa.
- Tihar Jail’s director-general Sandeep Goel said the bodies will be handed over to the families after the post-mortem.
- After Prime Minister’s address, Derek O’ Brien had said on Twitter that PM’s speech was high on gimmicks and low on solutions.
- After Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker NP Prajapati accepted the resignations of rebel Congress MLAs, Kamal Nath has little choice to continue to be in power.
- A 24-year-old woman, who had recently returned to Raipur from London, tested positive for coronavirus, making her the first confirmed case in Chhattisgarh
- Rashtriya Indian Military College, Dehradun has invited applications for admission in January 2021 session. Students who are studying in or have passed class 7th are eligible to apply.
- Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) has released the final answer key for the recruitment exam for the posts of food safety officer (FSO), assistant registrar and statistical officer on its official website.
- Staff Selection Commission March 19 postponed the ongoing Combined Higher Secondary (10+2) Level Examination (Tier-I), 2OL9 and the upcoming Junior Engineer (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and Quantity Surveying and Contract) Examination (Paper-I) 20L9.
- Allahabad Bank’s name and its board will cease to exist from April 1. It has over 3,000 branches across the country.
- Private sector non-life insurer ICICI Lombard has rolled out a COVID-19 protection cover under the group insurance category to help fight the contagious pandemic.
- The Olympic flame arrived in Japan to a muted reception, with what should have been a joyous celebration dramatically downscaled due to the coronavirus pandemic that has cast doubt over whether the Tokyo Games can even go ahead.
- Janani Narayanan from Tamil Nadu (TN) and Vrinda Rathi from Mumbai were named in the International Panel of ICC (International Cricket Council) Development Umpires.
- New Zealand(NZ) all-rounder Andrew Malcolm Ellis (37) announced his retirement from Canterbury cricket after 18 years of his career.
- The former world champion boxer and trainer, Roger Mayweather passed away on 18th March 2020 at the age of 58 due to health-related illness. Roger Mayweather won the world champion boxer title in two weight classes.
1. International News
- Japan will look into offering cash payouts to households as part of a stimulus package that could be worth more than $276 billion to combat the widening fallout from the coronavirus outbreak,
- China marked a major milestone in its battle against the coronavirus pandemic as it recorded zero domestic infections for the first time since the outbreak emerged, but a spike in imported cases threatened its progress.
- Italy reported 475 new deaths from the novel coronavirus, the highest one-day official toll of any nation since the first case was detected in China late last year.
- Saudi Arabia has called for a “virtual” summit of the Group of 20 (G20) next week to forge a coordinated response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussing the move with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- UK military has assisted with repatriation flights from China and Japan. Measures have also been taken to enable the call-out of Reservists, should they be required to join the response effort.
- Identified as Liang, the woman is said to have flouted home quarantine rules earlier this week after returning from abroad and going out jogging without wearing a mask.
- Coronavirus update: The Chinese foreign ministry said it could help with both the “control” and “diagnosis” of the spread of the disease in India.
- Lucia Azzolina, Italy’s education minister said that schools would only reopen when there would be ‘certainty of absolute safety’.
- The Chinese foreign ministry said it could help with both the “control” and “diagnosis” of the spread of the disease in India.
- India is planning a rescue package worth as much as $1.6 billion (Rs 11,900 Crore) for the aviation sector, which has been battered after the coronavirus outbreak
- The Lok Sabha passed the second batch of supplementary demands for grants authorising the government to spend an additional Rs 54,000 crore, mainly to meet its obligation towards GST compensation to states and defence-related expenditure.
- The Centre issued a gazette notification for the adaptation of 37 central laws in the Concurrent List for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
- Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa announced setting up a Rs 200 crore fund to combat the spread of coronavirus in the state where 14 people have tested positive for the virus and one person has died.
- The government said flights arriving from coronavirus-affected areas to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport will be staggered to facilitate the hassle-free mandatory screening of passengers.
- The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Madhya Pradesh government led by chief minister Kamal Nath to prove its majority on the floor of the state assembly
- The study findings issued by the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention are similar to the Covid-19 death rate in China, where the fatalities rate was 10 times higher in very old people compared to young people.
- The West Bengal government has started equipping all the state-run and private hospitals with ambulances, ventilators and emergency medical kits including masks and personal protective gears to prepare for a contingency.
- Slightly over half of the respondents (51%) in India are also concerned that someone close to them will be infected by the virus, said the survey conducted between March 12 and March 14.
- PM Modi Live on Coronavirus outbreak: P Chidambaram says the prime minister has asked people to wage a war against the virus with ‘moral armaments’.
- Three Delhi gang-rape convicts had filed a last-minute petition in the high court to stop their execution tomorrow morning at 5 am
- The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has ordered to reschedule the engineering entrance exam, JEE Main.
- Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has declared the stenographer grade C and D skill test results 2018 on its official website.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has reportedly given Yes Bank credit support of Rs 60,000 crore as the troubled private lender resumed full operation.
- The rupee tumbled to a record low of 74.99 against the US dollar in tandem with a continuing meltdown in global financial markets in the backdrop of the fast-spreading coronavirus pandemic.
- Saurabh Chaudhary and Aishwary Pratap topped the 10m air pistol and 50m rifle 3 positions events respectively in the Olympic team shooting selection trials qualification.
- International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach has stressed it’s too early to decide the fate of 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
- Iraq’s president named little-known former regional governor Adnan Al-Zurfi as prime minister-designate in another attempt to overcome months of unrest and deadlock.
- Pune-based two-wheeler auto major Bajaj Auto said its shareholders have approved re-appointment of Rajiv Bajaj as MD and CEO.
1. International News
- Australia has banned “non-essential” gatherings of more than 100 people in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
- US President Donald Trump sparked a controversy over his “Chinese virus” tweet. Trump later defended his comment and described it as “a very accurate term”.
- China said it will revoke the press credentials of American journalists working for the New York Times,
- The European Union will impose an entry ban on travelers from outside the bloc for 30 days to battle the spread of the coronavirus, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.
- The study n coronavirus, led by Professor Neil Ferguson, an expert on the spread of infectious diseases, was published on March 16.
- The findings of the study, published online earlier this week by the journal, Science, indicate that a radical increase in the identification and isolation of currently undocumented infections would be needed to fully control the coronavirus pandemic.
- Joe Biden sweeping three states on Tuesday primaries, Senator Bernie Sanders’s path to the securing Democratic Party nomination is nearly closed now and is expected to come under increasing pressure to end his campaign.
- Coronavirus disease Covid-19 has infected 1,84,976 people and killed over 7,500, according to the World Health Organisation.
- US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has laid down guidelines on managing stress and anxiety in the wake of Covid-19 outbreak.
- The move comes amid fears of a major hit to the US economy due to the coronavirus crisis. It is assumed that hundreds and thousands of Americans would lose their jobs in the coming months. The entire travel and tourism industry has come to a standstill.
- President Donald Trump said progress was being made against the fast-spreading coronavirus pathogen and predicted the U.S. economy would “come roaring back” when it slows.
- The US and China have sparred over the origin of coronavirus for days, with a Chinese official promoting conspiracy theories claiming it was brought to China by the US army and Beijing accusing American officials of stigmatizing an entire nation.
- The projection study, by a team led by Neil Ferguson, a professor of mathematical biology at Imperial College London, used new data gathered from Italy, where the coronavirus has surged in recent weeks.
- The new coronavirus was detectable for up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel, and for up to 24 hours on cardboard.
- The announcement comes weeks after US President Donald Trump put a limit on the number of Chinese citizens working in the US for five state-controlled Chinese media outlets.
- The government’s chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance said it was “reasonable” to estimate that 55,000 people could have COVID-19, based on an expected death rate of one in 1,000 cases.
- India assured to provide a grant of Nepalese Rupees(NPR) 107 million to construct 3 schools in Nepal & to create better facilities for students.
- The Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change & Minister of Information & Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar informed that the government has set an ambitious target to achieve sales of around 70 lakh hybrid & electric vehicles by the end of 2020.
- An 18-year-old student from Kolkata studying at a prominent university in England who flew back to the city two days ago tested positive for coronavirus.
- The soldier’s father had tested positive for Covid-19; he was quarantined for helping the family. The soldier’s sister, wife and two children are also quarantined.
- The High Court’s directive to the state came on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Sunil Kumar Jain. The next date for a hearing is on March 19.
- Over 5,700 people, who had come in contact with these coronavirus positive cases, are under rigorous surveillance, the ministry said.
- Many housing societies have put in place strict measures after two more fresh cases of Covid-19 were reported from Noida.
- The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), an apex tourism industry association, has estimated that the losses amount to Rs 15,000 crore in foreign exchange and many job losses because of a slump in tourist arrivals in March and April.
- Nearly half of the participants said they prayed for the crisis to get over. Less than 7 percent said they were using masks to fight the virus spread.
- China Shaped U.S.-India Relations during the Cold War offers a historically grounded yet readable guide to the ways in which China has influenced the trajectory of U.S.-India ties--directly and indirectly--since India’s independence in 1947.
- Digvijaya Singh, who arrived early this morning in the city, said he has been receiving messages from the families of the lawmakers who have been held “captive” in Bengaluru.
- The CAT directed that the state government could go ahead with its investigation into the charges against AB Venkateshwara Rao. It asked the IPS officer to approach the Centre if he had any grievance.
- Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Delhi Police, had said Pawan’s claim of juvenility was considered at each and every judicial forum and it will be a travesty of justice if the convict is allowed to raise the claim of juvenility repeatedly and at this point of time.
- While BJP MLAs seek immediate floor test, Congress has filed a separate plea saying the test cannot be conducted as 16 lawmakers had been held “captive” in Bengaluru.
- Bangladesh is setting new benchmarks in the economy and social indices, PM Narendra Modi said in a video message.
- While BJP MLAs seek immediate floor test, Congress has filed a separate plea saying the test cannot be conducted as 16 lawmakers had been held “captive” in Bengaluru.
- Bangladesh is setting new benchmarks in economy and social indices, PM Narendra Modi said in a video message.
- Officials confirmed 137 cases in the country. At least six more were presumptive positive cases, making numbers the biggest single-day jump yet.
- The court struck down a restrictive stipulation imposed by the central government in 2008 as per which PC for SSC women officers were to be granted only prospectively from January 2009, thereby denying the benefit of PC to women officers who were already.
- The admit cards for Civil Services preliminary exam will be released in May. The exam will be held on May 31.
- Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT) has invited applications for Young Scientist Research Programme, which will be held during May 11 to July 3.
- In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, the test for airmen’s recruitment earlier scheduled from March 19-23 has been postponed tentatively to the last week of April.
- Bihar Technical Services Commission (BTSC) has invited online applications for recruitment against 303 vacancies of food safety officer, occupational therapist and physiotherapist. The online application process started on March 16 and will conclude on April 15.
- Allahabad University’s UG exams had kick-started on March 3 and were scheduled to continue till April 27 with around 40,000 students of the varsity and constituent colleges appearing in them.
- Social Science is a subject which requires CBSE Class 10 candidates to remember lots of things. It covers four subjects – History, Geography, Political Science and Economics.
- Crisis-hit Yes Bank is set to resume full banking operations starting 6 pm today, paving way for its troubled depositors to make withdrawals without any restrictions.
- Domestic stock markets started Wednesday’s session on a higher note tracking a positive trend in Asian peers, following a rebound in Wall Street where equities took one of the ugliest hits on record amid concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
- At 10:10 am, the 30-share BSE Sensex traded at 30,174.13 down by 413.92 points in early trade while Nifty slumped 128.75 points to trade at 8838.30.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) looks poised for a rate cut in the coming monetary policy review scheduled to be held from March 31 to April 3.
- Yes Bank, which was placed under moratorium, will resume full services at 6 pm on March 18.
- LIC said that it had sold 21.42 million policies as of March 17, 2020 as against 21.40 million sold in FY19.
- UEFA proposes postponing Euro 2020 by a year due to coronavirus.
- The 2020 French Open has been postponed to September 20 amid the rising concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
- This year’s Copa America has been postponed until 2021 due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus, the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) said.
- The IOC statement fell shortly after news that both this summer’s Euro 2020 and Copa America were to be postponed by one year to 2021.
- Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich cancelled a training session amid fears over the coronavirus, while second-placed Borussia Dortmund sent their first-team players home for a week.
- Ravinder Singh Dhillon, was appointed as a Chairman and Managing Director of Power Finance Corporation (PFC) by the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet with effect from June 1, 2020.
- Patil Puttappa (99) a veteran journalist, writer, Khadi Activist, and a former Rajya Sabha member passed away at Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) in Hubballi, Karnataka due to age-related illness.
1. International News
- Canada is closing its borders to most foreigners excluding Americans in a bid to stem the coronavirus pandemic, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced.
- US President Donald Trump said postponing elections over the coronavirus crisis was “unnecessary,” even as Ohio’s governor called for the state’s presidential primary vote scheduled for to be delayed.
- The first human trial to evaluate a candidate vaccine against the new coronavirus has begun in Seattle, US health officials said, raising hopes in the global fight against the disease.
- The U.S. Supreme Court postponed a two-week argument session that had been set to start next week, making a highly unusual calendar change as the coronavirus outbreak spreads across the country.
- And while it was done for health reasons, amid a broad lockdown in the Philippines, it raises the prospect other exchanges may follow and has drawn analysts’ attention.
- Bay Area counties were reporting 273 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Six people have died of the respiratory illness in California.
- President Trump, who said the US “maybe” heading into a recession due to the virus, said he was asking Americans to restrict gatherings to groups of fewer than 10 when socializing outside or indoors.
- The US Supreme Court had been set to hear arguments in 11 cases during the weeks of March 23 and March 30. Those cases include an $8 billion copyright clash between Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Oracle Corp., set for argument March 24.
- The victim, Am-Shalem Singson told the police that he tried very hard to explain to the attackers that he was not Chinese and was not infected by the coronavirus, but it did not help.
- Elba, who starred in a TV drama “The Wire” and movie “Avengers: Infinity War,” said in a Twitter post that he had no symptoms but was isolating himself from others.
- Alvi arrived in China in the backdrop of Pakistan reporting a sharp rise in the number of covid-19 cases with the total number of infections rising to 121, the highest in South Asia.
- The Home Office said Indian and other international students and professionals with work visas may be prevented from attending their studies or employment due to illness and the need to serve a period of quarantine or the inability to travel due to travel restrictions caused by coronavirus.
- The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is scaling up testing capacity further and has placed an order for one million testing reagents from Germany.
- It also instructed all its employees to wear masks and hand sanitisers have been provided to everyone inside the Siddhivinayak temple.
- WHO’s India representative also commended the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which has managed to isolate the strains of Sars-Cov-2, the virus that causes the infection.
- PM Modi will participate in the birth centenary celebrations of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Bangladesh via video link.
- The Speaker had adjourned the Madhya Pradesh Assembly over coronavirus outbreak, thereby deferring the trust vote. The BJP then moved the Supreme Court against the move.
- The official in China’s Sichuan Province has claimed that young people are spending too much time together due to coronavirus quarantine, leading to fights.
- Maharashtra’s first death due to Covid-19 comes at a time when the state is moving toward a partial shutdown in an effort to fortify its defenses.
- The Supreme Court said there is enough documentary evidence to suggest women officers in Navy brought accolades to the force.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on all countries to ramp up their testing programs as the best way to slow the advance of the coronavirus pandemic.
- The Supreme Court will hear a petition by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmakers demanding an immediate floor test in Madhya Pradesh, after assembly speaker NP Prajapati abruptly adjourned proceedings for 10 days citing the coronavirus epidemic, scuttling the Opposition’s plans for a trust vote.
- Expressing concern over the reported effect on biodiversity and wildlife due to the proposed construction of a road through Pakke Tiger Reserve (PTR)
- Karnataka Health Department confirmed two new cases of coronavirus. With this, the number of positive cases of Covid-19 in the state has jumped to 10.
- Around 25 doctors and around 47 others mostly staff of a leading Central government-run hospital in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, have been asked to stay on home quarantine as a precautionary measure.
- The main exam for selection to RBI Assistant post will be held on March 29. Candidates have been shortlisted for the main exam on the basis of preliminary exam marks.
- SSC CHSL exam begins today. The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) will conduct the exam from March 17 to March 28 in shifts.
- National Testing Agency will release the admit card for JEE Main April exam 2020 on March 20. Candidates who have successfully registered for the exam will be able to download their admit card online at jeemain.nic.in.
- The Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur (IIT-K) has issued directives to all its undergraduate, MBA, first-year MTech/MDes/MS students to vacate the hostels by March 19 in view of the coronavirus outbreak, a senior official of the institute said.
- Delhi University said that teachers had the option of working from home as a precautionary measure to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
- Equity benchmark Sensex jumped nearly 500 points in early trade amid value-buying in recently hammered stocks even as investors fretted over an impending economic global recession led by Covid-19 pandemic.
- Flipkart, an E-commerce company based partnered with Aegon Life Insurance to sell comprehensive insurance solutions to customers seeking instant digital policies with an assured sum upto Rs 10 lakh.
- Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Shaktikanta Das assured all depositors of YES Bank Ltd that their money is safe and there is no reason to withdraw cash in panic.
- Achanta Sharath Kamal (37), a professional table tennis player from Tamil Nadu (TN) has ended the title wait of a decade by winning the ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation) Challenger Plus Oman Open 2020
- Australia’s domestic Sheffield Shield was called off because of the coronavirus pandemic with New South Wales declared champions as all cricket nationwide was halted.
- Indian journalists Arfa Khanum Sherwani, senior editor of the news website ‘The Wire’ and Bengaluru-based freelancer Rohini Mohan jointly won the “Chameli Devi Jain Award 2019” for outstanding Women mediapersons.
- Spanish football coach Francisco Garcia, who worked with Atletico Portada Alta, has died from novel coronavirus.
1. International News
- The US has cut interest rates to almost zero and launched a $700bn stimulus program in a bid to protect the economy from the effect of coronavirus.
- The three states bearing the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic in Europe have all recorded their highest death tolls for a single day.
- Australia’s prime minister has ordered a 14-day self-isolation for anyone arriving in the country to try to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
- Italians are beating the social isolation imposed by the country’s coronavirus lockdown by taking to their windows and singing in unison, with videos of the phenomenon racking up thousands of views online.
- Urging constituents to contact the NHS if feeling unwell, Sharma asked them to see a few people at possible and thanked “all the amazing staff in our NHS, and other public services, working so hard to keep us safe and healthy at such a difficult time.”
- President Donald Trump has declared he will stay with Vice-President Mike Pence for his 2020 re-election bid, he has seemed inclined to pick his former ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, another Indian American.
- Satoshi Uematsu, 30, had admitted to stabbing to death or injuring the victims at a care center for people with mental disabilities where he had once worked in Sagamihara, southwest of Tokyo.
- Among the high-profile figures to test positive in Spain were the prime minister’s wife, two Cabinet ministers and five players of top-flight soccer club Valencia.
- Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Qatar reported new cases, raising the total number in the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to 963, with no deaths reported.
- Mainland China had 16 new confirmed cases, the National Health Commission said, down from 20 a day earlier. That brings the total number of confirmed cases in China so far to 80,860.
- The candidates agreed that working people who lose their jobs because of shutdowns during the crisis should get financial support from the federal government.
- Official data showed the number of fatalities shooting up by 368 to 1,809 -- more than half of all the cases recorded outside China.
- Former Vice-President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders will be squaring off for the first one-on-one debate of the Democratic presidential nominating contests.
- The government amended Essential Commodities (EC) Act, 1955 to declare 2 ply & 3 ply surgical masks, N95 masks & hand sanitizers as Essential Commodities up to 30th June, 2020
- The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), India’s largest Central Armed Police Force, has signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Aditya Mehta Foundation (AMF)
- Uttarakhand Chief Minister (CM) Trivendra Singh Rawat celebrated the traditional harvest festival “Phool Dei”.
- PM Narendra Modi said the public response to the fight Covid-19 is boosting the morale of all those at the forefront of operations against coronavirus.
- Arvind Kejriwal announced the new steps during a press conference after reviewing the city government’s efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus.
- 2012 Delhi gang-rape convict Mukesh has withdrawn his petition before Supreme Court and has now sought permission to file fresh curative petition.
- Bihar, including Sheohar, Banka, Gopalganj, Samastipur and Kishanganj, the concerned administration had earlier issued prohibitory orders to prevent spread of the dangerous virus,
- The prime minister retweeted posts where netizens shared stories of how the outbreak has been handled by the authorities.
- Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, is effective immediately. It will cover protests including the one against the amended citizenship law that has continued for more than two months at Shaheen Bagh.
- Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who was arrested by the Special Investigation Team which probed the case, has been charged with wrongful confinement, rape, unnatural sex and criminal intimidation.
- The Union health ministry said the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases across India were 110, including the foreign nationals, till Sunday night.
- Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur has released the final answer key along with the question papers for the IIT Joint Admission Test 2020 on March 16, 2020, on its official website.
- Colleges and universities across the capital are going the extra mile to ensure that the learning process continues even as the institutes remain closed owing to the 2019 novel coronavirus threat.
- Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani has been summoned by the ED in connection with its money laundering probe against Yes Bank promoter Rana Kapoor and others, officials said.
- Australian cricketers Aaron Finch and David Warner have questioned the government’s new policy to tackle the coronavirus pandemic in the country.
- According to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India (GoI), Justice (Retd.)
1. International News
- Two of the EU’s biggest states, Spain and France, have followed Italy in announcing emergency restrictions to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
- Ten more people in the UK have died in the last 24 hours after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths to 21.
- US President Donald Trump has tested negative for the novel coronavirus, his physician said, following concerns over his exposure to a disease that has paralyzed the globe.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the package of constitutional reforms he had proposed, including a clause giving him an option to run for two more terms.
- Nationwide Italy has more than 1,400 deaths from the virus and 21,000 infections, with a quarter of the country’s intensive care beds taken up by those with the illness.
- The spread of the coronavirus across Europe, which is now the epicenter of the pandemic according to the World Health Organization, has fueled the urge to stockpile.
- In the white-collar world, workplaces have amped up options for teleworking and staggered shifts -- ushering in a new era where work from home is an increasing part of people’s regular schedule.
- The fatality “was a person aged 81 years who was hospitalized for other serious illnesses,” said officials at the hospital where the patient was treated.
- A 30-day US ban on travel from the EU’s Schengen border-free zone took effect on Saturday, but notably excludes Britain and Ireland.
- The UAE will suspend visa issuance starting March 17, the official news agency WAM reported, citing immigration authorities, adding that foreign diplomats would be exempted.
- Trump and Pence attended an afternoon news conference at the White House, and Trump said he had his own temperature taken before speaking to reporters.
- Health authorities in Spain said that coronavirus infections have reached 5,753 people, half of them in the capital, Madrid. That represents a national increase of over 1,500 in 24 hours.
- UK officials add that “more damaging mistruths’ include miracle cures for the virus, “such as drinking chlorine dioxide, an industrial bleach, or urine, eating garlic, gargling salt water or spreading cow dung and mustard paste”.
- Iran is suffering from the worst outbreak in the Middle East. The virus has also infected a number of senior officials there.
- Under Tirupati temple’s new protocol, the devotees would not be allowed to sit in the compartments of queue complexes to avoid person-to-person contact.
- Mumbai Police urged their personnel to greet people with a namaste instead of handshakes in wake of the coronavirus outbreak in Maharashtra.
- Four are first contacts or family members of the group of 40 people who came back from Dubai earlier this month. The fifth case is a 21-year-old man who has a history of travelling to Thailand.
- District collector Ravindra Thakare said all the four suspects were admitted to the isolation ward of Mayo General Hospital.
- India has already declared coronavirus a disaster, the Centre has also declared masks and hand sanitizers as essential commodities under Essential Commodities Act up to June 30, 2020.
- The KCR cabinet approved a 15-day action plan and decided to release Rs 500 crore immediately for taking up effective measures to tackle coronavirus.
- The Rajasthan government ordered the closure of schools, colleges, madrasas, movie theatres, coaching centres and gymnasiums till March 30.
- Central Railway stated that during coach maintenance, all coach fittings are being intensively cleaned using disinfectants.
- The Jallianwala Bagh massacre refers to the incident at a public garden in Amritsar when acting-Brigadier General Dyer ordered British soldiers to fire at civilians, leading to the death of more than 400 people.
- Prime Minister Modi made the statement at a meeting with a 24-member delegation of the newly formed Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party, led by its leader Altaf Bukhari, a day after setting free former chief minister Farooq Abdullah from detention under the tough Public Safety Act (PSA).
- Northern Coalfield Limited (NCL) has released an employment notification regarding the recruitment of HEMM Operator (Trainee) on its official website. Interested and eligible candidates can check the official notification online at nclcil.in.
- Abhash Rai, a fourth year B.Tech student of National Institute of Technology (NIT)-Patna , has secured the first rank in the country in Electrical Engineering stream of the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) examinations
- Yes Bank reported a staggering Rs 18,654-crore loss for the December quarter due to higher recognition of dud assets on the books, and an erosion of capital buffers to the brink.
- Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen and Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen will meet in the final of the All England Championships after taking contrasting routes through their last-four matches.
- Government appointed former Chief Financial Officer & deputy Managing Director(MD) of SBI Prashant Kumar as MD & Chief Financial Officer(CEO), the former Punjab National Bank(PNB) MD Sunil Mehta as Non-Executive Chairman, Mahesh Krishnamurthy & Atul Bheda as non-executive directors of the reconstructed board of Yes Bank.
1. International News
- The US military said that it will halt all domestic travel, with some exceptions, for service members, Defense Department civilians and their families amid the fast-spreading coronavirus.
- The 2020 London Marathon, which was scheduled to take place on April 24, has been postponed to October 4 due to the global outbreak of coronavirus.
- Donald Trump declared a national emergency over the fast-spreading coronavirus to free up $50 billion in federal aid and said he would “most likely” be tested for the virus himself soon after facing possible exposure.
- A planeload of medical supplies, including masks and respirators, has arrived in Italy from China to help it deal with its growing coronavirus crisis.
- Donald Trump also announced expanded testing for infection at drive-through facilities coming up on the premises of grocery chain Walmart and Target.
- Netanyahu, however, did not share any specific details of his discussions with his Indian counterpart during the press conference.
- The decision came following a public inquiry on September 24 and October 11 last, when lawyers for the Maharashtra government argued in favour of continuing to use the property as a museum to Ambedkar.
- A state of emergency allows the central government to limit free movement, legally confiscate goods and take over control of industries and private facilities, including private hospitals.
- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, told a virtual news conference that it was launching a COVID-19 solidarity response plan.
- Canada’s House of Commons voted to shut down for at least five weeks to help ensure lawmakers do not contribute to the spread of the virus.
- At least seven more people died of the disease on the mainland until early on Friday, taking the death toll to 3,176; the number of total infections stood at 80,813.
- Global airlines have cancelled thousands of flights worldwide, as COVID-19 decimates demand for passenger travel, with destinations to China and Italy in particularly hit hard.
- Coronavirus: According to the ministry, the deceased woman had a history of contact with a positive case.
- The government hiked excise duty on petrol and diesel by a steep Rs 3 per liter each to garner about Rs 39,000 crore additional revenue as it repeated its 2014-15 act of not passing on gains arising from the slump in international oil prices.
- American couple with symptoms linked to coronavirus, who went missing from a hospital in Kerala, were tracked down to an airport in the southern state and placed under isolation.
- The US Embassy and Consulates in India have canceled all visa appointments from March 16 in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.
- Kuldeep Srivastava, head of India Meteorological Department’s regional weather forecasting center, had said that the weekend is also likely to be cloudy.
- The man, who had returned from Italy, showed signs of Covid-19 in initial testing and is yet to be confirmed by the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune.
- The Odisha government which declared coronavirus and a ‘state disaster’ has announced the opening of an additional coronavirus ward in the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack with at least 60 beds for infected patients.
- Public Safety Act (PSA) was revoked, former chief minister Farooq Abdullah drove from his residence to nearby Hari Nivas where his son, also a former chief minister, has been held first under preventive custody since February 5 under the PSA.
- The West Bengal Police, which mans the border gate on the Indian side in Jaigaon in Alipurduar district, stopped the movement of goods and travelers from India to Bhutan
- Modi had on Twitter urged India’s neighbors to join hands to fight the coronavirus outbreak that has claimed more than 5000 lives worldwide and infected more than 130,000 people.
- Punjab has reported one positive case of coronavirus as seven people have shown symptoms of the disease as of March 13. There are 2214 people who have been kept under observations in hospitals and homes.
- The Maharashtra government has ordered a shutdown of cinema theatres, auditoriums, gymnasiums and swimming pools in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Nagpur from Friday midnight till March 30 in view of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.
- The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has invited application from eligible candidates for recruitment to various posts.
- BPSC has postponed the main exam for assistant engineer recruitment 2019 under advertisement number 01/2019, 02/2019. 03/2019 and 04/2019 due to coronavirus outbreak.
- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) offers research internship, twice a year mostly, to those who wish to move on to pursue Ph.D in Economics, Banking, Finance or related fields, or to positions in government research institutions, or financial institutions that require a quantitative and analytic orientation.
- New Zealand fast bowler, is to be tested for coronavirus and has been placed in isolation after complaining of a sore throat following the Black Caps’ opening one-day international against Australia, team officials said.
- New Zealand abandoned their tour of Australia after Wellington tightened border restrictions to combat the spread of coronavirus.
- Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration (WGSHA) of Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) entered the Limca Book of Records (LBR)
- Sports business network, iSportconnect released the ‘Influential Women in Sport’ list for 2020, which named Nita Ambani, Serena Williams & Simone Biles along with 7 other women.
- Microsoft announced that co-founder Bill Gates has left its board of directors to devote more time to philanthropy.
- Dana Zatopkova (97), a former Czechoslovak javelin-thrower, passed away on 13th March 2020.
1. International News
- The Indian Embassy in the US has set up 24-hour helplines to address questions on the recent travel restrictions implemented by New Delhi in a bid to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.
- Three Indian-origin company directors – two based in Mumbai and one in London – have been banned for 21 years after they failed to rein in a call centre that used aggressive and misleading tactics to secure sales from vulnerable people in the UK.
- Iran’s foreign minister demanded that the United States immediately halt what he called a “campaign of economic terrorism” and lift sanctions.
- A Philippine diplomat in New York has tested positive for the new coronavirus in the first recorded case at United Nations headquarters in the city, diplomatic sources said.
- After more than 4,600 deaths and 126,000 infections across the country, China is now trying to reshape the global narrative in response to overseas criticism
- US District Court Judge Anthony Trenga in Alexandria, Virginia, ordered Manning released because the grand jury hearing the case had concluded.
- The coronavirus outbreak in Iran has infected a host of senior officials, politicians, clerics and members of the elite Revolutionary Guards.
- “Sophie Gregoire Trudeau was tested for COVID-19 today. The test came back positive,” the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement.
- Aylward also sought to dispel some myths and misconceptions about the virus. He said people shouldn’t worry about goods shipped from places.
- The directors failed to ensure customer credit card and bank details were used for their intended purpose. Investigators assessed that they secured more than £1.9 million from just over 11k customers.
- More than 202,000 Indian students are enrolled in US universities and many of them stay on campus and many stays outside.
- Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and US President Donald Trump did not shake hands when they met and when asked by reporters about it, Trump and Varadkar both said they greeted each other with namaste, without using the word.
- A war of words has broken out between China and the US over the novel coronavirus pandemic with Beijing alleging that it could have been the American military that brought the virus to Wuhan.
- The rise, announced in the Conservative manifesto for the December 2019 election, was confirmed by chancellor Rishi Sunak during his budget speech.
- Kuldeep Singh Sengar, his brother and three aides were convicted for culpable homicide not amounting to murder (Section 304), criminal conspiracy (120B), wrongful restraint (341), voluntarily causing hurt (323) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of arms act.
- Sikkim had decided on March 5 not to issue inner line permits (ILP) to foreigners but imposed no restriction on the movement of people from other states.
- A Google employee in Switzerland had earlier tested positive for Covid-19, prompting the tech giant to impose travel restrictions on employees to travel to Iran, Italy and China.
- The poster has the photographs of Kuldeep Sengar and Chinmayanand as well as the details of the cases against them.
- The Nagpur man’s throat swabs were sent for the test and it came back positive. He is currently under treatment at the local government-run Mayo Hospital.
- Coronavirus starts from the upper respiratory system and then moves to lungs filling them with fluid and causing pneumonia.
- The countries under the initiative also agreed to make available timely data and publications for addressing emerging infectious disease outbreaks.
- The move comes a day after the national carrier announced a temporary suspension of its services to Rome, Milan, and Seoul, amid the coronavirus pandemic which has triggered the imposition of travel restrictions by various countries across the globe.
- The accused, an off-duty sailor who was visiting the state on vacation, was arrested from his home at São José de Areal village late.
- Last week, the Law Commission recommended the retrieval of lands allotted under the Roshni Act, which was scrapped in November 2018 by Satya Pal Malik, then governor of Jammu and Kashmir state.
- A ministry official said since there is huge traffic movement across land borders, screening facilities are being strengthened.
- Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) has released the answer key for class 10th board examination online.
- The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has released the factory-wise provisional select list for engagement of 56th batch of trade apprentices in Ordnance and Ordnance Equipment Factories across India.
- Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B) has declared the results of UCEED entrance examination 2020 at uceed.iitb.ac.in.
- Indian market hit a lower circuit in the first 15 minutes of trade. The trading is now halted for around 45 minutes. Massive selling was seen in benchmark indices, pushing both Sensex and Nifty below their crucial support levels.
- Lightning has struck twice. In a short span of around six months, bank depositors have been at the receiving end of the short circuit as it were.
- The GDP growth is set to slip to a decadal low of 5 percent for FY20 as per official estimates and hopes of a revival are being pinned on the next fiscal.
- ECB President Christine Lagarde told a news conference the virus would have a "significant impact on economic activity" even if it is ultimately temporary in nature and called for "an ambitious and coordinated fiscal policy response".
- Growth in advances to the services sector decelerated to 8.9 percent from 23.9 percent in January 2019.
- Japanese government officials insisted they have no plans to alter the Tokyo Olympics, including holding it without spectators, after US President Donald Trump proposed a delay over the coronavirus.
- The Premier League was thrown into chaos as Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi both contracted the new coronavirus, leaving at least one game postponed and other fixtures in doubt.
- Chelsea forward Callum Hudson-Odoi has tested positive for the coronavirus and all first-team players and coaching staff will now self-isolate, the Premier League club said.
- NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league shut-down because of the coronavirus pandemic is likely to last “at least 30 days”.
- The US PGA Tour has changed course and called off The Players Championship after one round, the first of a string of cancellations amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- French-born chef and restaurateur Michel Roux has died aged 78. He passed away night surrounded by his family at home in Bray, Berkshire, after battling a long-standing lung condition.
1. International News
- The government is set to announce that it is stepping up its response to the coronavirus.
- US President Donald Trump has announced sweeping new travel restrictions on Europe in a bid to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
- Germany will spend what it takes to tackle the coronavirus which is likely to infect up to 70% of the population in Europe’s largest economy, Chancellor Angela Merkel said.
- One could say that this planet gets rainy in the evening, except it rains iron,” said study co-author David Ehrenreich, a professor at the University of Geneva in Switzerland.
- The hike was expected as it was in the December 2019 General Election manifesto of the Boris Johnson-led government, but its timing is now confirmed as of this year.
- Italian PM Conte’s announcement came hours after his government promised to spend up to 25 billion euros (USD 28 billion) to fight novel coronavirus that has put hospitals and the economy under intense strain.
- The test result of the player who is allegedly infected with coronavirus, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday night was called off.
- Tom Hanks, who announced having tested positive for coronavirus, said he and his wife Rita Wilson came down with a fever while in Australia and will now be isolated and monitored.
- The president scheduled the remarks to lay out his plan for dealing with the rapid spread of coronavirus that has led to more than 1,100 infections in the US and ravaged markets
- “Effective immediately, all Amazon employees diagnosed with COVID-19 or placed into quarantine will receive up to two weeks of pay,” the firm said in an online post.
- The singer announced that two of her upcoming shows in Pittsburgh and Washington DC are being postponed to November as she was down with a cold.
- The attack threatens a dangerous escalation, with suspected US-led coalition airstrikes promptly targeting Iran-aligned Iraqi fighters in neighboring Syria, a war monitor said.
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that both coronavirus and climate change are very serious problems, but they are very different in nature.
- Telangana will pay the employees of state road transport corporation for the period when they had gone on a strike last year.
- Congress floor leader in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Chowdhury, started the much-awaited debate on last month’s Delhi riots, the usually packed public gallery looked empty afternoon.
- Three travelers who flew in from Italy, slipped out of the Cochin International Airport after dodging health authorities and surfaced after testing positive for the novel coronavirus are believed to have transmitted the virus to eight of their relatives, including an 85-year-old grandmother and a 90-plus grandfather.
- The 35-year-old doctor of Indian origin is based in Toronto, Canada and had arrived here on March 8. She was tested positive on Wednesday night and her samples have been sent for reconfirmation to NIV, Dr Himanshu said.
- The government received 529 samples from Iran and so far, 299 of them have tested negative, Jaishankar told the Lok Sabha in a statement on coronavirus.
- In his affidavit, NCP chief Sharad Pawar has also declared liabilities of Rs one crore for advance deposits received against the transfer of shares from his nephew Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra Pawar and grandnephew Parth Pawar.
- Shiv Sena criticized the Congress for neglecting the aspirations of its youth leaders, saying even though Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh are at the “helm” of the Madhya Pradesh Congress, it was not necessary to completely sideline a leader like Scindia.
- The Supreme Court questioned the UP government on the law under which the action was taken to paste the posters of anti-CAA protesters.
- Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district administration released two sets of maps giving a detailed account of three people’s travel after they arrived at the Cochin International Airport on February 29.
- Jyotiraditya Scindia had ended his 18-year-old association with the Congress on Tuesday after meetings with Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- The petitioner told the bench that IPL-2020 is scheduled to start from March 29 but no safety measures have been declared to prevent the spread of coronavirus during the matches.
- This is the second such incident in Muzaffarnagar within a fortnight. A few days ago, a man had drowned while shooting a video for TikTok.
- Highlighting the issue of privacy, Justice UU Lalit said that while the court agrees there should not be unruly behavior, there must be some law which backs the action of putting up the hoardings.
- TANCET 2020 result has been announced. Anna University conducts TANCET exam for admission to post graduate professional programmes offered at Universities in Tamil Nadu.
- Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will begin the process of withdrawal of applications for Civil Services exam today.
- The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council may raise the rate on mobile phones to 18 percent from the current 12 percent, according to a report by The Economic Times.
- World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring coronavirus (COVID-19) a global pandemic, a section of economists and analysts see logic in an emergency cut by Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to cushion the economy.
- Investors are calling for coordinated action from governments and central banks to stem the threat to the economy from the novel coronavirus.
- At 11am, Sensex fell 2,520.10 points to trade at 33,177.30 while Nifty slipped 722.5 points to trade at 9,724.50. This is the first time since March 26, 2018, that Nifty dropped below the 10,000 mark.
- India, boosted by the returns of Hardik Pandya, Shikhar Dhawan, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, will be looking to put the nightmares of the New Zealand tour behind them as they gear up to face South Africa in the first One-day International (ODI) of the three-match series at Dharamsala.
- Liverpool are set to take on Atletico Madrid at a packed Anfield on Wednesday but several Arsenal players are in quarantine after the first postponement of a Premier League game over coronavirus fears.
- Argentina has suspended all sports events until the end of March as a precautionary measure to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, the sport secretariat said
- World Championships bronze medallist Manish Kaushik (63kg) won a historic ninth Tokyo Olympic quota for India as he upset Commonwealth Games champion and second seed Harrison Garside of Australia 4-1 in the box-off bout at the Asian/Oceanian Olympic Qualifiers in Amman
- Famous Bengali actor Santu Mukherjee died at his south Kolkata residence. He is survived by a daughter, popular actor Swastika Mukherjee.
1. International News
- The United Nations (UN),an intergovernmental organization that aims to maintain international peace and security, has adopted a stripped-down political declaration on women’s rights that sought to protect the benefits under threat but does not recommend new ways to ensure progress toward equality.
- New York’s governor has announced that troops will be sent into a town north of the city in an attempt to contain the spread of the coronavirus
- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is set to release 1,500 Taliban prisoners in coming days to pave the way for direct talks with the hardline insurgent group that are aimed at ending the 18-year-long war in Afghanistan,
- Russian lawmakers vote on a package of constitutional reforms as President Vladimir Putin looks to put his stamp on the country for decades to come.
- Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has postponed her two-day official visit to Japan over the global outbreak of the deadly novel coronavirus, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said.
- The agreement with the Taliban calls for the fundamentalists to sever ties with international terrorist groups and to prevent them from using Afghanistan to carry out attacks against the US.
- Joe Biden had gone on to win 10 of the 14 states that polled in the Super contests last week in a stunning reversal of fortunes, resurrecting his campaign that had been given up for dead.
- Chinese president Xi Jinping made his first visit to coronavirus-epicenter Wuhan which along with the entire Hubei province with over 50 million people was kept under total lockdown since January 23, banning all movement of transportation.
- President Ghani and his rival leader Abdullah Abdullah were each sworn in as president in separate ceremonies, throwing plans for peace negotiations with the Taliban into chaos.
- Andhra Pradesh (AP) ranked 1st in the country for the overall implementation of POSHAN ( Prime Minister’s Overreaching Scheme for Holistic Nourishment) Abhiyaan as per September 2019 progress report of NITI Aayog
- The traditional “Fagli” festival at Kinnaur district in Yangpa village, Himachal Pradesh. This festival is celebrated to denote the end of the winter and the start of the Spring.
- Gujarat ranks first in the list for domestic solar rooftop installations, throughout the country with 64 percent of domestic solar installations.
- Bangladesh and Myanmar, the Mizoram government banned the entry of foreigners to the state as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus.
- A senior party functionary said that if Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the BJP, it would help the party reclaim Madhya Pradesh — a bastion that it had lost in the 2018 state Assembly poll after being in power for three consecutive terms – and would also signal the emergence of new leadership in the state.
- The coronavirus scare has hit poultry business so hard and the Poultry Farm Association recently organized a Chicken Mela in Gorakhpur to dispel the misconception that birds are carriers of the deadly virus.
- The doctor alleged she was sacked by the management of the private clinic for reporting the matter to the police and informing the public about the incident through social media and through television.
- Two years back, Kerala had successfully contained the Nipah virus. The state’s health minister is confident that authorities will overcome the coronavirus challenges too.
- World Health Organization (WHO) published a list of the 15 most polluted cities in the world. 14 of the 15 were in India.
- The BJP leader’s comments come at a time when the virus, which first emerged in China last December, has spread to more than 100 countries, with over 4,000 deaths worldwide and over 1,10,000 confirmed cases.
- BJP MLAs arrived at a luxury hotel in Gurugram the early hours of Wednesday, the Congress will likely move its MLAs from Bhopal to Jaipur later in the day.
- Rana Kapoor allegedly received a kickback of ₹600 crores from Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited (DHFL), the agency said.
- The Congress, which swiftly moved to expel Scindia for “anti-party activities”, is now staring at the collapse of its government in Madhya Pradesh where it came to power in 2018 after a gap of 15 years.
- JEE Main 2020 application process for the April exam will conclude tomorrow. National Testing Agency (NTA) had extended the last date for JEE Main application from March 6 to March 12, 2020.
- Share of Lakshmi Vilas Bank rose nearly 5 percent in early trade on March 11 after Kotak Mahindra Bank entered the race to acquire majority stake in the company.
- After the debacle at Yes Bank and rumours that RBL Bank could be next, the management said in a statement that it is adequately capitalised.
- Fuel prices have been on the decline since February 27 on international trends.
- Earlier this month, the Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved consolidation of 10 state-owned banks into four.
- Atalanta’s fairytale Champions League run continued inside an empty stadium as Josip Ilicic scored four times in a 4-3 win over Valencia that sent his team into the quarter-finals 8-4 on aggregate.
- Indian javelin thrower Shivpal Singh has qualified for his maiden Olympic Games in Tokyo this year by breaching the qualification mark at an event in Potchefstroom.
- Arsenal’s game at Manchester City was postponed after players from the London club were put into quarantine, making it the first Premier League fixture to be called off because of the new coronavirus.
- Boxer Simranjit Kaur stormed into the finals of the ongoing Asian Boxing Olympic qualifiers and with this, she has assured herself of a silver medal. She defeated Chinese Taipei’s Shih-Yi Wu in the 60kg weight category semi-final.
- Atalanta’s fairytale Champions League run continued inside an empty stadium as Josip Ilicic scored four times in a 4-3 win over Valencia that sent his team into the quarter-finals 8-4 on aggregate.
- V Praveen Rao, Vice-Chancellor (VC) of Professor JayaShankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU), won the 7th edition of Dr MS Swaminathan Award for the period 2017- 2019.
- Ministry of Defence that Lt Gen Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon (57) will be appointed as a Director General, Defence Intelligence Agency, Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, under the Chief of Defence staff (CDS)
1. International News
- Italy has extended its emergency coronavirus measures, which include travel restrictions and a ban on public gatherings, to the entire country.
- Official NHS guidance about coronavirus is to appear at the top of internet search results in an attempt to combat misinformation about the infection.
- Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Wuhan for his first visit to the epicentre of the country’s coronavirus epidemic since the crisis erupted in January.
- Two US lawmakers with recent close contacts with President Donald Trump announced that they had decided to self-quarantine after being exposed to the new coronavirus at a late-February conservative conference.
- White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said that testing was not necessary because President Trump is not showing symptoms and the lawmakers aren’t confirmed to be infected.
- UK’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle will stop using royal titles from March 31 and stop receiving public money as part of an arrangement reached with the Queen. The arrangement is to be reviewed after one year.
- Britain has been in the grip of a debate about rising knife crime, particularly in London, and two recent attacks in the capital had raised fears of terror attacks.
- Hundreds of people had assembled at two venues inside the presidential palace complex to watch the swearing-in ceremonies for President Ashraf Ghani and challenger Abdullah Abdullah, when the blasts were heard, prompting some to flee.
- U.S. Congress issued its own preliminary findings on the Max and said its design and development “was marred by technical design failures, lack of transparency with both regulators and customers, and efforts to obfuscate information about the operation of the aircraft.”
- Ali Babacan, the former Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey responsible for the economy said that the party will be called ‘Democracy and Advance Party’ which means a cure, reports Duvar news website.
- The Tourism Authority of Thailand, a government agency, wrote on Facebook that travelers coming from the six regions “will undergo 14 days quarantine,” adding more details will be announced shortly.
- Fences were being installed at an 11-acre site at the Port of Oakland, as authorities readied flights and buses to whisk the more than 2,000 passengers aboard the Grand Princess to military bases or their home countries for a 14-day quarantine.
- Sikkim government has withdrawn the five-day working week system and declared that they will get holidays only on second and fourth.
- Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Rural Development, and Panchayat Raj, announced that the Rural Development Ministry plans to add more than 14 lakhs SHGs (Self Help Groups) to achieve 75 lakh SHGs by the year 2022 to enable more women to get a livelihood.
- Union Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change & Minister of Information & Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar stated that sanitary pad manufacturers should mandatorily supply biodegradable bag for disposal of each pad from January 2020,
- About 2,000 Indians are living in Iran, a country that has witnessed increasing numbers of coronavirus cases in the last few days.
- Experts have warned against “false hope” following an analysis from China that said the number of cases decreased after average temperatures crossed 8.72 degrees Celsius.
- The Russian side believes India’s participation in developing the Far East and the Northern Sea Route is key to these plans
- Air quality in the city has ranged between “moderate (AQI value 101 to 200)” and “satisfactory” over the past nine days, owing to frequent spells of rain and strong surface winds.
- YSRC announced the names of deputy chief minister Pilli Subhash Chandra Bose, minister Mopidevi Venkataramana and prominent industrialist-turned-politician Alla Ayodhya Rami Reddy of Ramky Group of Industries.
- In Shiv Vihar, the neighborhood that was worst affected by the riots, preparations for a bonfire for ‘Holika Dahan’ were seen in several lanes.
- NGO Advantage India had received Rs 90.72 crore under the corporate social responsibility (CSR) scheme for carrying out social activities but it was diverted for some other purposes, the probe agency has said.
- Jahanzaib Sami and his wife Hina Bashir Beigh, both in their late 30s and residents of Srinagar, were booked for sedition.
- The Maharashtra School Education department has found itself in a tight corner by scheduling a festival before March 20, right in the midst of ongoing Class X and XII board exams.
- National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) has released the admit card for the class 10 and 12 practical examination on its official website. Students who have registered for the examination can download their admit card online at nios.ac.in.
- Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) will declare the Class 10th and 12th results soon. According to the latest press release, BSEB official has announced that the class 10th and 12th results will be declared in the month of March or April.
- The Reserve Bank of India on March 9 said it has received Rs 48,856 crore of bids in the fourth long-term reverse repo operation (LTROs) conducted for an amount of Rs 25,000 crore with a 3-year tenor.
- The UN agency said that apart from the tragic human consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic, the economic uncertainty it has sparked will likely cost the global economy $1 trillion in 2020.
- Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) Krishnamurthy V Subramanian also allayed fears of depositors, saying that Indian banks are well-capitalised.
- MC Mary Kom qualified for the Tokyo Olympics beating Irish Magno of Philippines in a unanimous 5-0 verdict at the Asia/Oceania Olympic qualifier in Amman, Jordan.
- Ashish Kumar’s eyes became moist as he brushed aside Maikhel Roberrd Muskita of Indonesia 5-0 to confirm his place for the Tokyo Olympics (75kg) at the Asian Olympic qualifiers in Jordan.
- Nupur Kulshrestha becomes the 1st woman to be promoted as Deputy Inspector General(DIG )of Indian Coast Guard.
- Veteran Marathi journalist Anant Dixit died here after a prolonged illness. According to sources close to his family members, Dixit was suffering from a kidney-related ailment and was undergoing treatment at a city-based private hospital where he breathed his last in the evening.
1. International News
- The number of people to have died from the coronavirus in Italy has shot up by 133 in a day to 366, officials say.
- Beijing has decided to donate USD 20 million to the World Health Organisation (WHO) in support of international cooperation over fighting the novel coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 3,600 people and infected over one lakh others worldwide.
- Qatar has temporarily barred travelers from 14 countries from March 9 as a precaution against the rapidly spreading coronavirus, the government announced.
- The World Health Organization saluted Italy’s “genuine sacrifices” after the government put a quarter of the population under lockdown to try to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus.
- Some 30 US states have been hit by the novel coronavirus, with Oregon the latest to declare an emergency, and 60 million people in California and New York are under crisis measures.
- China’s National Health Commission, (NHC) said it received reports of 40 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, the lowest number of fresh cases since it started reporting the data in January.
- Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signed off on plans that strictly limit movement in and out of the north, including Venice and the financial capital Milan, for nearly a month.
- Iran has one of the highest numbers of deaths from the illness outside of China, where the virus originated. Iranians were warned by ministry spokesman Kianush Jahanpur to avoid all large gatherings and stay home.
- The Chinese government, meanwhile, has decided to donate the US $20 million to the World Health Organisation (WHO) to support it carry out international cooperation in fighting the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
- People in multiple cities of northern Italy are being put under quarantine. The quarantine zones are home to more than 15 million people and include the regions around Venice and financial capital Milan.
- There were 27 new deaths from the virus, all in Wuhan and the lowest in more than a month, bringing the nationwide toll to 3,097, according to the National Health Commission.
- The ATP and WTA tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California, has been canceled over concerns about the worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus, organizers said.
- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said efforts are underway for the return of Indian pilgrims from Iran’s Qom city and follow up arrangements are being discussed with the Iranian authorities.
- Pathanamthitta district, the Kerala government launched awareness campaigns and a vigorous exercise to trace all those who had come in contact with the five infected people of the same family.
- The Telangana government announced waiver of all outstanding crop loans of up to Rs 1 lakh in four installments, which will come into effect from this month.
- Over 25 countries have announced or implemented some form of school closures in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
- Twelve others, including the baby’s parents, have been isolated. The results of their tests will be out in the evening
- PM Modi’s visit was also meant to have had a bilateral component, including a meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
- The government had to ultimately intervene and bail out Yes Bank on March 6. Many of Rana Kapoor’s colleagues spoke about his style of functioning to Mint.
- The survey is conducted by Delhi Metro Transport Strategy Centre in collaboration with the Imperial College London.
- TMC alleged that the BJP was sheltering those wanted by the police for leading a violent statehood movement seeking to carve a separate state of Gorkhaland out of West Bengal.
- A 76-year-old American tourist tested positive for COVID-19 in Bhutan, the first such case in the country, after traveling through Assam recently.
- Taliban jihadists in Afghanistan, JeM chief Masood Azhar has been shifted by Pakistan’s deep state from his Bahawalpur headquarters to Rawalpindi for his personal safety.
- MPS Bisht from Uttarakhand has raised concerns about whether geological aspects of the Kedarnath reconstruction project have been taken into account as it nears completion.
- Climate crisis and air pollution ruin and kill many more, but it’s slower. We’ve got to prevent the spread, no doubt. But can we also learn from this dreadful pandemic
- The new political formation, which enjoys the Centre’s backing, has politicians from the PDP, the Congress and the NC.
- Bihar in-charge Shaktisinh Gohil reminding the leader of the opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav about the 2019 parliamentary poll promise.
- Union railway minister Dinesh Trivedi, theatre personality Arpita Ghosh, and former Congress MP Mausam Noor contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections but lost.
- CTET July 2020 application process will conclude. The application window will close today at midnight.
- The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) has postponed all examinations of the distant learning courses for students in Aligarh, Kerala, Murshidabad (West Bengal), Kishangarh (Bihar) and Delhi due to fears of the novel coronavirus, that has so far infected 39 people in the country.
- The government had to ultimately intervene and bail out Yes Bank on March 6. Many of Rana Kapoor’s colleagues spoke about his style of functioning to Mint.
- In China, the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index dived 1.56 percent while the benchmark Philippine stock exchange index opened down nearly four percent.
- The world’s third-largest economy shrank an annualised 7.1% in the quarter to December, revised data showed.
- The two main contracts were both down about 20 per cent, with West Texas Intermediate sliding to about USD 32 a barrel and Brent crude to about USD 36 a barrel.
- With SBI running the bank, concerns over liquidity and viability of Yes Bank as a going concern have receded.The central bank could lift the cap in one go by 16 March or else do it in stages
- Real Madrid’s response to winning the Clasico was another surprise defeat on Sunday as they lost 2-1 away at Real Betis to hand the initiative straight back to Barcelona.
- India women’s team was supposed to travel to China but the tour was canceled following the outbreak of the disease in Wuhan, China.
- Thomas Mueller scored as Bayern Munich opened up a four-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga with a 2-0 victory over Augsburg at the Allianz Arena, while the spread of the coronavirus threatened to curtail the season.
- Manchester United completed a first Premier League double over Manchester City for 10 years as Anthony Martial and Scott McTominay punished two errors from visiting goalkeeper Ederson for a 2-0 win at Old Trafford.
- India took its total tally of Olympic quota at Asian Boxing Olympic qualifiers to five as Satish Kumar defeated Mongolia’s Daivii Otgonbayar in +91kg category to reach semifinal.
- Bangladesh named opening batsman Tamim Iqbal as captain of the national one-day side, replacing pace bowler Mashrafe Mortaza.
1. International News
- US political conservatives including US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence has tested positive for the new coronavirus, officials said.
- Italy’s death toll from the novel coronavirus rose by 36 to 233 while the number of infections shot up by a single-day record of 1,247 to hit 5,883.
- Washington state, officials said, bringing the nationwide toll to 19, while the number of confirmed cases in New York rose to 89 and a cruise ship with infected passengers remained stranded outside San Francisco.
- Footage circulating on Twitter-like Weibo showed rescue workers searching the ruins of the Xinjia hotel in the dark as they reassured a woman trapped under heavy debris and carried wounded victims to ambulances.
- The building collapsed at about 7:30 p.m. (1130 GMT) and 34 people were rescued in the following two hours, the Quanzhou authorities said.
- The Vatican had promised to review the 83-year-old pontiff’s schedule “to avoid the dissemination” of the new COVID-19 disease.
- The team has designed a system that lets such types of robots learn complicated tasks that would otherwise hinder them with too many confusing rules.
- The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) said in a statement that 13 out of 15 new cases in the UAE recently arrived from abroad.
- Ge Daye was also quarantined in his home near Beijing on the orders of local officials -- not because he had travelled to a virus-hit area, but because he was born in Hubei.
- Florida Department of Health said that the two patients who died were in their 70s and had traveled overseas.
- Ge Daye was also quarantined in his home near Beijing on the orders of local officials -- not because he had travelled to a virus-hit area, but because he was born in Hubei.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted this morning he would log out of his social media accounts and give them to “seven women achievers” who will “share their life’s journeys” on International Women’s Day.
- A 45-year-old man tested positive for coronavirus, making him the first positive case in Tamil Nadu. The man, who returned to India from Oman on February 28, is being treated at Chennai’s Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital.
- Allahabad High Court will hear at 3 pm today – a court holiday – the case relating to hoardings put up by the Uttar Pradesh government, naming those who were accused of violence during protests against the controversial citizenship law.
- SC in a judgment hailed for creating a new equality paradigm in the armed forces, upheld a 2010 Delhi HC verdict and ruled that women officers who joined the Indian Army through SSC are entitled to permanent commission.
- The second woman achiever to take on Prime Minister’s social media accounts on the occasion of Women’s Day was Malvika Iyer who survived a gruesome bomb blast at the age of 13.
- Initial reports suggest that three of the Pathanamthitta residents had returned from Italy on February 29 and two of their kin contracted the virus.
- Munna Bajrangi was allegedly killed by another criminal Sunil Rathi barely a week after his wife addressed a press conference in Lucknow accusing the Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh Police of conspiring to murder him.
- Many farmhouses and five-star hotels across Delhi/NCR have canceled their Holi celebration events and signature pool parties in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
- Air India is perhaps the only single airline to operate so many domestic and international flights, operated and supported by women employees, according to a statement.
- Pillai got a seat under the banner of a faction of the Communist Marxist Party and defeated local legislator and son of John, Shibhu Baby John, by 6,189 votes.
- A new platform is under construction near the Ram Janmabhoomi campus gate where the idol will be shifted from the makeshift temple and placed in a pre-fabricated structure.
- NEET UG 2020 will be held on May 3 this year. NEET UG, a national-level medical entrance exam, is held for admission to undergraduate medical and dental programmes at central and state medical and dental institutes.
- State Bank of India (SBI) will acquire a 49 per cent stake in the reconstructed Yes Bank by acquiring 245 crore shares in Yes Bank at a price of Rs 10 each for Rs 2,450 crore.
- Vadodara Municipal Corporation has shifted its entire corpus of Rs 265 crore deposited with Yes Bank to Bank of Baroda five days ago, Deputy Municipal Commissioner Sudhir Patel has said.
- Foreign currency assets, a major component of the overall reserves, rose by $4.36 billion to $445.82 billion in the reporting week.
- "Government may soon receive a resolution plan for YES Bank and it may be finalised by the RBI in a day or two," the official said.
- Sitharaman said she is not in a position to share details of resolution plan immediately.
- Vodafone said in the statement that its had already paid Rs 2,500 crore on February 17 and another Rs 1,000 crore on February 20 towards their AGR liabilites.
- The Indian Fed cup team created history by progressing to the play-offs for the first time ever with Ankita Raina leading the side to a 2-1 win over Indonesia in Dubai.
- Six-time world champion M C Mary Kom (51kg) and the redoubtable Amit Panghal (52kg) stood just one win away from securing Olympic berths after the two boxers advanced to the quarterfinals with contrasting victories of the Asian Qualifiers
- Basketball superstar LeBron James said he won’t play if his Los Angeles Lakers have to hold games behind closed doors due to the coronavirus outbreak.
- Liverpool recovered from back-to-back defeats and conceding the opening goal with a 2-1 win over Bournemouth to move to within three wins of ending a 30-year wait for the Premier League title.
- Managing Director of Ford India, Anurag Mehrotra was appointed as the Chief Executive officer for the New joint venture formed by Mahindra and Ford with effect from April 1, 2020.
- N Vijayan Pillai, the Left ruling front legislator from Chavara, passed away in early on Sunday at a private hospital in Kochi, said family sources.
International
- According to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus tracker at least 299 cases of coronavirus have been detected in the US and 14 people have died due to it.
- The report last month was the latest accusation that Chinese forces have used lasers to harass and potentially damage U.S. and other nations’ military aircraft and personnel.
- Trump announced the surprise staff reshuffle in a series of Friday night tweets, saying Mulvaney would become the U.S. special envoy for Northern Ireland.
- Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has consolidated his grip on power with the imprisonment of prominent clerics and activists as well as princes and business elites.
- There were 99 fresh cases of coronavirus infection, according to the National Health Commission, with a rise in the new cases outside the virus epicentre of Hubei province for a third consecutive day.
- Japan is also understood to have argued the restrictions would affect the work of Japanese managers in decision-making role and experts and engineers working on Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project.
- U.N.’s food agency, the World Food Program, warned of the potential of “absolute devastation” as the outbreak’s effects ripple through Africa and the Middle East.
- Iran’s death toll from coronavirus jumped to 124, as 17 died and more than 1,000 were additionally diagnosed with the disease.
- Like the Diamond Princess, the liner held in quarantine off Japan last month, the Grand Princess is owned by a unit of Carnival Corp, the world’s largest cruise operator.
- President Donald Trump on Friday said the Taliban could "possibly" overrun the Afghan government after the United States withdraws from the country, leaving the US-backed authorities to fend for themselves.
- President Ashraf Ghani tweeted that the attack was “a crime against humanity and against the national unity of Afghanistan”.
- The head of the U.N.’s food agency, the World Food Program, warned of the potential of “absolute devastation” as the outbreak’s effects ripple through Africa and the Middle East.
- Diamond Princess, the liner held in quarantine off Japan last month, the Grand Princess is owned by a unit of Carnival Corp, the world’s largest cruise operator.
- President Ashraf Ghani tweeted that the attack was “a crime against humanity and against the national unity of Afghanistan”.
- The foreign minister told the Upper House that India had always played role of a spoiler, the report said.
- US President Donald Trump said it might have an impact but the challenge would eventually pass.
- Bhutan immediately shut borders to foreign visitors for two weeks in an effort to limit the impact of a disease that has wreaked havoc in more developed countries around the world.
- Japan’s move could further strain bilateral relations between the Asian U.S. allies, which sank to their lowest point in decades last year as they feuded over trade issues, wartime history and military cooperation.
- Elections to mandal and zilla parishad territorial constituencies in Andhra Pradesh will be conducted in two phases on March 21 and 24 while municipalities and municipal corporations will go to polls on March 27.
- Indian-origin peers in the House of Lords, business chiefs and community leaders are among a group of over 90 cross-sector representatives who signed a letter in support of Priti Patel, Britain's first Indian-origin Home Secretary engulfed in a bullying row amid resignation of a top civil servant in her ministry.
- Kerala is at the centre of a social media storm after the picture of a ''Brahmins-only toilet'' outside its main campus went viral on online platforms, prompting the management to remove the signboard.
- Police have arrested a man for allegedly cheating several shopkeepers in Maharashtra's Thane, Pune and Nashik by making phone calls in a woman's voice, police said.
- A spokesperson said there was absolutely no epidemic of the disease in the state and the press release issued by the health department on the issue had inadvertently described Covid-19 as an epidemic disease.
- Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan urged people to avoid mass gatherings and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision not to celebrate Holi carries a big message.
- Gupta’s statement came on the day when the government informed the House on steps being taken to tackle a possible outbreak of the virus in the state.
- The government announced free electricity to all households with monthly consumption of less than 30 units, which the government feels is adequate to cover the basic electricity needs of a family.
- Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan only made an indirect reference to these contentious issues of CAA and NPR , saying that the state government would act tough against the attempts to create communal tensions and suppress such attempts with an iron hand.
- Malanggad Hill in Kumbharli village under Ambernath taluka, around 50 kilometres from Mumbai, caught fire at around 6.00pm and the blaze engulfed a major area.
- The Prime Minister also took jibes at his political adversaries even as sporadic protests have erupted in parts of India against the Citizenship Amended Act and the proposed National Register of Citizenship (NRC).
- HT learns that Indian intelligence agencies have picked up cross-country electronic chatter where people believed to be Pakistani operatives are berating their sources for not organizing enough crowds for anti-CAA protests on March 3-4 despite the funding at their disposal.
- The administration has also put up some hoardings announcing the amount demanded from the 53 protestors in the Uttar Pradesh capital and warning that “their properties would be attached if they failed to pay the recovery amount.”
- The assessment is based on data as of January 1, 2018. The ministries include Atomic Energy, Defence, Railways, Housing/Urban Affairs and Home Affairs.
- Indian intelligence agencies have picked up cross-country electronic chatter where people believed to be Pakistani operatives are berating their sources for not organizing enough crowds for anti-CAA protests on March 3-4 despite the funding.
- The administration has also put up some hoardings announcing the amount demanded from the 53 protestors in the Uttar Pradesh capital and warning that “their properties would be attached if they failed to pay the recovery amount.”
- The assessment is based on data as of January 1, 2018. The ministries include Atomic Energy, Defence, Railways, Housing\/Urban Affairs and Home Affairs.
- Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram too attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that its ability to govern and regulate financial institutions stands exposed
- The Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers Association (JNUTA) on Friday shot off a letter to the Secretary, Ministry of Human Resource Development demanding an inquiry into the "drastic reduction in positions reserved for SCs and STs in JNU".
- To mark the occasion of the lnternational Women's Day, 2020, Union Minister for Human Resource Development (HRD) Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' felicitated the Vice Chancellors of women universities and women principals of Delhi Colleges in New Delhi
- IIT Delhi, which is in-charge of conducting the JEE Advanced 2020 exam this year, has released the prospectus for JEE 2020 exam.
- IIM Nagpur completed the final placement process for the fourth batch of students enrolled in its flagship Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP 2018-20).
- The company’s liabilities included a principal amount of ?6,854 crore for the 13-year period ended March 31, 2019 and interest up to February 2020.
- Yes Bank ATMs resumed operations, allowing depositors to withdraw cash, almost a day after RBI?announced moratorium capping withdrawal of deposits to Rs 50,000 from the bank.
- Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad separately sought government assistance to keep Vodafone Idea afloat, the sources added.
- There’s a specific reason why national coach Igor Stimac is keeping a hawk’s eye on the Indian Arrows, the All India Football Federation’s development side competing in the I-League.
- Ramkumar Ramanathan lost a dog fight with Marin Cilic in one of the best matches of his career after unforced errors pulled Prajnesh Gunneswaran down as India trailed Croatia 0-2 on the opening day of the Davis Cup Qualifiers, Zagreb
- Soccer star Ronaldinho was arrested in a hotel in Paraguay’s capital after authorities said he entered the country with falsified documents.
- India vs Australia, Women’s T20 World Cup final: Emphasis on speed &?strength has improved the T20 World Cup finalists’ fielding agility and technique
- The surge in novel coronavirus cases in India has led to the postponement of the shooting World Cup and has also put the India Open badminton in jeopardy. Both events were scheduled to be held in Delhi this month.
- TIME Magazine created 100 New Covers for the Project ‘100 women of the year’ to recognize selected women or groups to represent each year from 1920 to 2019.
- India’s Freedom Fighter Amrit Kaur will be honored as ‘Women of the Year’ for 1947 & Former prime minister Indira Gandhi for 1976.
- Rohit Sharma was named as the Cricketer of the year and PV Sindhu was named as the Sportsman of the year as she won gold at the World Championships in Basel, Switzerland.
International
- Mexico has been overwhelmed by an escalation of narco-violence that has left more than 60,000 people missing since 2006.
- The city now has a total of 422 cases. Coronavirus cases are now rising across the globe at a more rapid rate than inside China.
- Coronavirus fears also affected the joyful celebration of Holi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders said they wouldn’t attend Holi events and the Holi Moo Festival in New Delhi was canceled.
- A total of 311 passengers arriving at the provincial capital of Lanzhou from Iran have now been quarantined, state broadcaster CCTV reported late
- Seattle in Washington state has been most affected by the virus in the United States. Ten people have died out of 39 cases of infections through community transmission of the virus.
- The princess said she feared for the safety of her family since she twice found a gun on her bed a year ago, with the muzzle pointing to the door and the safety catch off, Judge Andrew McFarlane wrote in a ruling released
- The IJA symposium included contributions from journalists and experts, including Nic Newman of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Chris Morris and Samira Ahmed of the BBC, Mattia Peretti of the London School of Economics, Anushka Asthana of The Guardian, and Francesco Zaffarano of The Telegraph.
- Hong Kong’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department after a dog in quarantine tested weakly positive for the virus Feb. 27, Feb. 28 and March 2, using the canine’s nasal and oral cavity samples.
- The strike came hours ahead of a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the escalation in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province
- The National Institute for Communicable Diseases confirmed that a suspected case of COVID-19 has tested positive,” Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said in a statement.
- That’s the conclusion of Hong Kong’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department after a dog in quarantine tested weakly positive for the virus Feb. 27, Feb. 28 and March 2, using the canine’s nasal and oral cavity samples.
- The strike came hours ahead of a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the escalation in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province
- Quarantining a sick person is not enough if precautions are not taken to decontaminate surfaces that the patient came in contact with.
- The judgement by the five-judge bench will impact various land acquisitions made by different governments.
- The number of people infected with coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has gone up to 30 in India as the government widened its watch for the illness to close to 30,000 and scaled its containment efforts.
- A total of 40 lots — 15 artworks, a 2010 Rolls Royce Ghost and a selection of limited-edition and luxury handbags and watches -- were sold at the auction.
- The CM declared that the government would provide an assistance of Rs 20 crore for a 325-feet high bronze statue of Sri Jagajyothi Basveshwara, to be constructed on the premises of Murugha Mutt in Chitradurga.
- The four MLAs who were yet to return include Bisahulal Singh, Hardeep Singh Dung and Raghuraj Kansana, all Congress legislators, and Surendra Singh Shera, an independent.
- Though India did not specifically respond to Khamenei’s comment, earlier in the day it rejected such criticism of the CAA and the communal violence in New Delhi.
- The resolution said that BBA deprecates the conduct of Justice Mishra for making “obsequious remarks “ which were ‘improper and unnecessary’.
- Opposition parties stuck to their stand that business in the House would only be allowed after a discussion on the communal riots in the city.
- FSSAI had constituted a committee of experts to examine the possibilities of the presence of coronavirus in imported food items.
- As medical staff and airport officials screen the passengers and note down their contact details just in case they developed symptoms of the Covid-19 later, immigration procedures have run into delays.
- ICICI Prudential AMC (Asset Management Company), one of the leading mutual fund investment companies in India,
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has challenged Manchester United to compete on three fronts after they moved into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 3-0 win at Wayne Rooney’s Derby
- Abhinav Bindra said India will go into the upcoming Tokyo Olympics as the “favourites” in shooting, with its strongest-ever squad.
- A goal nine minutes from time by defender Yuri Berchiche took Athletic Bilbao into an all-Basque Copa del Rey final against Real Sociedad when they edged Granada on away goals.
- Real Madrid star and Belgian international Eden Hazard has undergone successful surgery on his broken right foot, the Spanish La Liga leaders
- Seven Indian players, including the doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, have pulled out of the upcoming All England Open in Birmingham (March 11-15) due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
- President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind conferred the 61st annual Lalit Kala Akademi awards 2020 to 15 excellent artists at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi.
- Slovenia’s lawmakers have approved the Leader of Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), Janez Jansa as Slovenia’s new Prime Minister.
- N.S Vishwanathan, one of the Reserve Bank of India’s deputy governors, who is due to retire on July 3,2020, has announced his resignation due to health problems.
- The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) has consituted a committee headed by Naresh Chandra Saxena, former member of the Planning Commission of India and of the National Advisory Council (NAC)
- UN Chief Javier Perez de Cuellar passed away in his native Peru due to natural causes at the age of 100.
International
- California Governor Gavin Newsom declared an emergency as he reported the state’s first fatality from the Covid-19 illness an elderly person who had taken a cruise to Mexico
- The National Health Commission also reported 139 new cases, slightly up from 119 the previous day, raising the overall number of confirmed infections to 80,409.
- Wade Michael Page, a white supremacist, had opened fire on the gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin just as worshippers were gathering for the morning prayer.
- The Taliban’s latest statements are being closely followed in diplomatic circles in New Delhi and by experts who track developments in Afghanistan.
- Following an unusual conference call of the IMF’s governing body, the members said they were united in addressing the challenges posed by COVID-19.
- China had taken unprecedented and aggressive measures including virtually locking down the province of Hubei with a 60 million population to contain the spread of coronavirus.
- The announcement came on the state-run Saudi Press Agency, quoting an unnamed Interior Ministry official announcing the ban.
- President Donald Trump confirmed that he spoke on the phone to a Taliban leader, making him the first US president believed to have ever spoken directly with the militant group responsible for the deaths of thousands of US troops in nearly 19 years of fighting in Afghanistan
- Takeda Pharma’s research would require antibodies from patients who have recovered from the coronavirus infections or who have been vaccinated, once a vaccine has been developed.
- UNESCO saying that 13 countries have closed schools, affecting 290.5 million children, while nine others have implemented localised closures.
- The trade impact for India is less as compared to other economies such as EU, the US, Japan and South Korea. Trade impact for Indonesia is 312 million dollars.
- Activist Harsh Mander had made derogatory remarks against the Supreme Court, which was first picked up by a judge at the hearing.
- Pankaj Sharma sent photos of bridges on highways along the border to Pakistan intelligence agencies, said sources.
- Former Janata Dal (United) Rajya Sabha member of Parliament (MP), Pavan Varma, is of the opinion that political strategist, Prashant Kishor’s, ‘Baat Bihar ki’ ‘ holds the key’ in a possible third front coming to fruition in the poll-bound state, where election is slated to be held in November.
- Delhi spent ?1,045 crore on the judiciary while the overall expenditure of the state in 2018-19 was ?50,200 crore. Only 2.08% of total spending of Delhi in 2018-19 was on the judiciary although it was the highest among all states in terms of percentage.
- Congress media in-charge Shobha Oza said the party was in touch with three other lawmakers – two from the Congress and one independent— who were in Bangalore.
- The amount is set to rise further as bills for all the PM’s visits in 2019-20 are yet to come in, Union minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan added.
- The administration of J&K, now a Union Territory, will allow unrestricted internet access with 2G speed, said Shaleen Kabra, principal secretary, home department.
- Army chief, General Manoj Mukund Naravane, on Wednesday said India’s unprecedented airstrikes against a terror base in Balakot, Pakistan, on February 26 last year dispelled the long-held belief that the use of airpower across the border could trigger.
- The budget session of 2020 started on a confrontational note between the Opposition and the government over the recent riots in north-east Delhi that has left at least 47 dead and another 350 people injured.
- Uttar Pradesh assembly last month was sent to jail in December 2019 by the Tis Hazari district court for the “remainder of his natural biological life” for raping the woman when she was a minor.
- The government made the first direct attempt to break the logjam after its senior minister and Leader of the House in the Rajya Sabha, Thawar Chand Gehlot, met Leader of the Opposition and Congress veteran, Ghulam Nabi Azad, in the morning to iron out.
- Union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday said that there were 28 coronavirus cases in India, including the three in Kerala who were treated and discharged from hospital last month.
- Four scientists from the Indian Council of Medical Research have reached Tehran, the Iranian capital, with equipment and testing kits to facilitate mandatory testing before the people board a plane to India.
- Apollo pharmacy in Vasant Kunj, pharmacists said people are placing orders for as many as 500 to 600 units of hand sanitizers at a time.
- The BJP said a public rally scheduled to be addressed by Union home minister Amit Shah on March 15 in Hyderabad has been postponed.
- The award was given by President Ram Nath Kovind at the National Science Day (NSD) function held at Vigyan Bhawan on 28 February for research achievements and for application of technology for the societal benefits.
- The final result of the Indian Forest Service (IFS) Exam 2019 has been released. A total of 88 candidates have qualified all the selection tests and have been recommended for appointment to the posts in Indian Forest Service.
- The Uttar Pradesh government in a single stroke sacked 1,300 Jal Nigam employees appointed during the previous Samajwadi Party regime on the ground of faulty selection process.
- The IMF said will make available about $50 billion through its rapid-disbursing emergency financing facilities for low income and emerging market countries that could potentially seek support on account of coronavirus.
- The central bank’s decision, a virtual ban, almost killed these companies and the sector by disconnecting their lifeline, namely the interface with the regular banking sector.
- Top laggards in the Sensex pack included IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finance, ITC, UltraTech Cement and HDFC Bank, while Sun Pharma, Tech Mahindra, M&M and Asian Paints ended with gains.
- Former junior world champion Sakshi Chaudhary (57kg) stunned Asian silver-medallist and fourth seed Nilawan Techasuep of Thailand to enter the quarterfinals of the Asian Olympic Qualifiers for boxing
- WWE WrestleMania is regarded as the biggest pay-per-view in pro-wrestling industry. The 36th edition of WWE’s biggest event is set to take place on April 5th in Tampa Bay, Florida.
- The spread of coronavirus has sent the sporting world into frenzy with sports bodies and federations across countries having to work out a way to tackle the widespread panic.
- India’s champion shooter Abhinav Bindra said the situation arising out of the coronavirus outbreak has to be carefully and constantly monitored in the run-up to the Tokyo Olympics.
1. International News
- North Korea presents itself as a fortress, tightening its borders as cadres of health officials stage a monumental disinfection and monitoring program.
- Television networks declared Biden the winner in the three southern states shortly after polls closed, an indication that his victories there were decisive and could net him a large portion of the total available delegates.
- The three endorsements from rivals that Joe Biden picked up on the eve of the Super nominating contests are being seen as a major boost for the former vice-president.
- Melisa Hucks of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency reported that the statewide death toll was “eight at this time” and that fatalities had occurred across four counties.
- The UAE, which has reported 21 cases of coronavirus, regularly hosts major conferences, concerts and sporting events.
- The UK government has unveiled a 25-page “action plan” laying out measures it may have to take in a worst-case scenario, “It’s quite unusual for a government to publish a plan with things in it we hope we won’t have to do,” Health Secretary said.
- Iran’s supreme leader earlier ordered the Islamic Republic’s armed forces to assist its Health Ministry in combating the spread of the new coronavirus.
- The Syrian state news agency SANA said the Syrian warplane was ‘targeted’, and this is the third such downing in the past three days.
- Fan spends her non-working hours in quarantined isolation – away from her husband and daughter in Wuhan and her critically ill mother in another locked-down city in Hubei province in central China.
- Queen Elizabeth II has told her grandson, Prince Harry, that he would "always be welcomed back".
- Labour demanded that home secretary Priti Patel step down while the inquiry into allegations of bullying against her is carried out, as details emerged of a £25,000 settlement to a bureaucrat who complained against her in 2015 when she was employment minister.
- The new coronavirus has spread from China across much of the world, with Italy among the worst affected with over 2,000 people infected and 52 deaths.
- South Korea said that launch appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles which the nuclear-armed North is banned from testing under UN Security Council resolutions.
- There are now 157 confirmed cases in Germany, the Robert Koch Institute disease control agency said up from 129 the previous day.
- Eight Chinese nationals who worked in the same restaurant in Italy have tested positive for coronavirus virus and South Korea, Iran and Italy have emerged as countries with most cases outside the epicenter.
- Supreme Court allows trading in cryptocurrency, cancels 2018 ban imposed by Reserve Bank of India RBI
- Madhya Pradesh late last night, state ministers Jaivardhan Singh and Jeetu Patwari were seen leaving from a hotel in Gurugram with BSP MLA, a day after ruling Congress alleged that eight MLAs have been forcefully kept at the hotel by the ruling BJP.
- Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh told the media that the MLAs who he knew had been held hostage are Congress MLAs Bisahu Lal Singh and Hardeep Singh Dung, BSP MLA Ram Bai and independent MLA Surendra Singh Shera.
- RBI issued a press release stating that virtual currencies (VCs), referred to as cryptocurrencies and crypto assets, raise concerns of consumer protection, market integrity and money laundering
- Milan Vaishnav sits down with podcast regulars Sadanand Dhume and Tanvi Madan to discuss US President Donald Trump’s India visit, Delhi riots and more.
- So far, six confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported in India. The World Bank has unveiled a $12 billion aid package to help countries combat the outbreak of the virus.
- Amid rumors of MLAs shifting loyalties, the CM underlined that there’s “no threat to the stability of the government”.
- The minor victim’s body was found buried in a field on February 7 two days after her uncle, also the main accused had lured her to visit a local fair with him.
- A bench of justices Rohinton Nariman, Aniruddha Bose and V Ramasubramanian will pronounce the judgment at 10.30 AM in a petition by Internet and Mobile Association of India (IMAI), an industry grouping that has challenged the ban.
- Citizenship (Amendment) Act, or CAA, and also attempted to corner the government over last week’s communal clashes in north-east Delhi.
- The UN high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, informed India’s permanent mission in Geneva that her office would file an “intervention application” in the Supreme Court.
- Social media had been abuzz, after Modi announced that he was thinking of giving “my social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube”.
- All the preparations were made, explosives were procured and armed, but weather conditions forced a suspension of the convoy movements, and JeM terrorists had to wait.
- The Communal Violence (Prevention, Control, and Rehabilitation of Victims) Bill was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on December 5, 2005, by then home minister Shivraj Patil.
- An HT reporter also spotted several people wearing N95 masks in the area. In Vasundhara Enclave, shopkeepers were surprised when the sale of masks went up despite lower pollution levels.
- Such rankings as well an audit by a third party of cleanliness measures put in place at railway stations could help the government assess the efficacy of the steps it has taken, a report presented by the committee said.
- Tibetan Children’s Village schools President Thupten Dorjee said the schools were closed as a precautionary measure against the prevailing public health crisis, a post on the CTA’s official website said.
- The decision was taken after a delegation comprising Jamia teachers was sent to the riot affected areas in northeast Delhi on February 29.
- The recruitment drive is being conducted to fill 1098 vacancies of Junior Engineer. Out of which, 998 vacancies are for the scheduled area, and 100 for non-scheduled area.
- The BSEB district-level quiz was conducted on February 29, 2020, at various centres spread across the state.
- The entrance examination will be held on April 5, 7, 9 and 11, 2020.The JEE Main 2020 results for the April session will be announced on April 30.
- Assam Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the bill will be introduced during the later part of the ongoing Budget session of the Assembly.
- Qihoo - a major cybersecurity vendor said the CIA had targeted China’s aviation and energy sectors, scientific research organizations, internet companies, and government agencies.
- SBI Cards and Payment Services, the first initial public offering of 2020 has seen a 88.51 percent subscription on March 4, the third day of bidding. SBI Card is the biggest public issue after GIC Re which was launched in October 2017.
- The survey conducted by HR specialist Mercer across HR and finance professionals from 119 companies found that as much as 81 percent of their employees feel that the new tax regime will not benefit them.
- A parliamentary panel had examined the Demands for Grants 2020-21 of Department of Heavy Industry (DHI) and tabled its report in Parliament.
- The Nikkei/IHS Markit Services Purchasing Managers' Index climbed to 57.5 in February from January's 55.5.
- Cristiano Ronaldo rushed to Madeira to be beside his stricken mother after she suffered a stroke.
- UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said he was confident European football’s governing body could deal with any worst-case scenario in relation to the upcoming Euro 2020 as the continent battles to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
- Jurgen Klopp insisted the best of Liverpool’s season may still be to come despite a third defeat in four games saw them crash out of the FA Cup 2-0 at the hands of Chelsea.
- The International Olympic Committee said Tuesday it was busy with preparations for a “successful” Summer Games in Tokyo in less than five months and at a time when the coronavirus outbreak is widening.
- Hockey captains Manpreet Singh and Rani Rampal were nominated for Dhruv Batra Player of the Year award in male and female category respectively by Hockey India for its third Annual Awards scheduled on March 8.
1. International News
- The SEC temporarily suspended trading of two companies. In the first case, the regulator said it was concerned about the accuracy and adequacy of information available about the viability of the company’s product to treat the coronavirus.
- Beijing, which sees itself as an increasingly influential player in Afghanistan, urged the Taliban to “seize the opportunity” and start intra-Afghanistan talks.
- The declaration comes only a day after President Ashraf Ghani said he would continue the partial truce at least until talks between Afghan officials and the Taliban kick-off, supposedly on March 10.
- The child’s death, reported by the Greek coast guard, was the first since thousands of migrants began massing at the frontiers with Greece over the weekend after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced an easing of restrictions on those wishing to cross to Europe.
- South Korea’s case numbers -- the largest total anywhere outside China -- are expected to rise further as authorities carry out checks on more than 266,000 people associated with the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which is often condemned as a cult.
- The report said that the Chinese government is using “visas” as weapons to intimidate journalists from abroad “like never before”.
- The reduction in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution was first noticed near Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, but eventually spread across China, according to NASA scientists who examined data collected by their and European Space Agency satellites.
- Shakeel Afridi has been languishing behind bars for years since his fake vaccination program helped US agents track and kill the Al Qaeda leader in 2011.
- Pete Buttigieg, the two-term mayor of Indiana’s South Bend city, became the second Democrat running for the party’s presidential nomination to drop out of the race after a blow-out performance from former Vice-President Joe Biden in the South Carolina
- After equities suffered their worst week since the financial crisis more than a decade ago, central banks began to flag support measures, with Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell hinting at a fresh interest rate cut at the bank’s next meeting.
- Oil industry analysts fear that what they thought was a contained disruption may instead lead to more travel restrictions and even less oil consumed.
- A court handed down a death sentence to a 23-year-old man after he stabbed two officials at one local village checkpoint.
- Mayor Francis Zamora of the Philippine capital’s San Juan area said the gunman shot one person at the V-Mall. The victim was in stable condition at a nearby hospital.
- An “imported” case of coronavirus from Italy was reported from east Zhejiang province, the latest after Beijing, Guangdong and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
- A similar incident was reported in February last year when Congress Lok Sabha MP from Manipur Dr. Thokchom Meinya’s car rammed a barricade at Parliament premises.
- Rahul Gandhi criticized PM Modi’s tweet on giving up social media accounts. “Give up hatred, not a social media account?” Gandhi had tweeted.
- The Maoist was a resident of Peddakorma village which comes under Bijapur district and started working for ultras when he was twelve-year-old.
- The meeting comes a week after the national capital saw its worst riots in more than two decades that so far has claimed 46 lives and left more than 200 people injured.
- To a query by Congress MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed, Patowary said 573 people were arrested so far in 430 cases relating to protests against the amended citizenship law.
- Opposition parties thronged the well of the House, demanding that they are allowed to raise the matter and forcing repeated adjournments.
- The increasing recruitment by Consulting firms, at the expense of FMCGs and Consumer Durables is indicative of the economic downturn
- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to move a resolution to take action against Congress MPs and seek their suspension from the House under Rule 374 (A).
- 45-year-old man visits Mayur Vihar doctor after returning from Italy, admitted to Safdarjung Hospital as the test comes back positive; Hyderabad resident, back from Dubai, infected.
- The data from China showed that only a handful of the children and teenagers (0-19 years) affected were hospitalized with fever, cough or other mild respiratory symptoms.
- RML Hospital in central Delhi is one of the two nodal centers designated to quarantine and treat persons suspected to have Covid-19.
- Union Law Minister said he did not wish to go into any debate on this issue in the Parliament.
- The state government recently formed four groups of officials to give suggestions on schemes in the areas of energy, infrastructure, social sector, agriculture, education, and health.
- The attendance of the lawmakers in eight department-related standing committees was monitored as a part of Naidu’s larger goal to improve participation of MPs in the House panels.
- The bill also proposes that the opinion of one doctor should be enough for termination of pregnancy up to 20 weeks of gestation, and two doctors for termination between 20 and 24 weeks of gestation.
- More than 17 lakh students from across Maharashtra are expected to appear for the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination for class 10 beginning
- The Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board (UPPRPB) has released the final merit list of candidates who have been selected for the post of constable with Uttar Pradesh Civil Police and Reserve PAC.
- The Special Task Force (STF) that arrested the three, also recovered three mobile phones, some cash, screenshots of five WhatsApp chats and many solved answer sheets.
- In a new initiative, the board has launched ‘CBSE Centre Locator App’ so that students can easily locate their examination centres.
- Most of the students of Lucknow were unhappy with the exam, and found it a bit lengthy and difficult to solve. They said 2 to 3 questions particularly numerical were tough.
- SSC had commenced the online registration process for the SSC CHSL examination on December 3, 2019, and concluded it on January 10, 2020.
- SBI Cards would offer up to 130,526,798 equity shares through an offer for sale route. This would include offloading of up to 37,293,371 shares by SBI and 93,233,427 scrips by Carlyle Group.
- House prices rose 5.7% on average in 2018, the weakest since comparable records began in 2010, and data available for last year suggest a much weaker market despite a rapid-fire succession of interest rate cuts from the Reserve Bank of India.
- Easing regulations and a surge in online banking are driving the change, with several overseas lenders increasing investment plans for the country to win affluent clients away from domestic rivals, senior bankers told Reuters.
- The Economic Survey tabled by the government in Parliament has projected India's economic growth at 6 -6.5 percent in the next financial year starting April 1.
- AIPBA Chairman Bahadur Ali said that the repeated onslaught of social media with wrong information on consumers has shaken consumer confidence and depleted the demand for chicken products.
- Abierto Mexicano Telcel (AMT) presentado por HSBC (Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation), a lawn tennis tournament was held at Acapulco Princess Mundo Imperial Hard, Acapulco, Mexico between 24 and 29 February 2020.
- The 1st edition of the 2020 Khelo India University Games (KIUG) was held from February 22 – March 1, 2020 at KIIT University (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology University) in Bhubaneswar,Odisha.
- Mikel Arteta made nine changes for Arsenal's 2-0 win over Portsmouth in the FA Cup fifth round but insisted he had no choice because some of his stars were still shell-shocked after their Europa League exit.
- Ishan Porel took a five-wicket haul for Bengal in the first innings against Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy semi-final and then dismissed KL Rahul cheaply in the second.
- Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal was honoured with Swarajya Awards 2020 under the category, Dr. Syama Prasad Mukherjee Award for Politics at the 6th India Ideas Conclave at Tent City Narmada in Gujarat.
- The 70th edition of Berlin International Film Festival( Berlinale) 2020 was held in Berlin, Germany from 20 February–1 March 2020.
- 72 years old Former Deputy Prime MInister Muhyiddin bin Haji Muhammad Yassin took oath of office as Malayasia’s 8th Prime Minister(PM) at National Palace in Kuala Lumpur.
- Nokia appointed Pekka Lundmark as CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and he will take charge from September 1, 2020.
- Balbir Singh Kullar, former Indian hockey player, Padma Shri awardee and a Punjab Police Officer passed away at the age of 77 in Sansarpur, Jalandhar district, Punjab.
- Senior athletics coach & Dronacharya awardee Joginder Singh Saini, who trained some of India’s finest track and field stars, passed away at the age of 90, in Patiala, Punjab, due to age related problems.
1. International News
- After equities suffered their worst week since the financial crisis more than a decade ago, central banks began to flag support measures, with Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell hinting at a fresh interest rate cut at the bank’s next meeting.
- Oil industry analysts fear that what they thought was a contained disruption may instead lead to more travel restrictions and even less oil consumed.
- Coronavirus a court handed down a death sentence to a 23-year-old man after he stabbed two officials at one local village checkpoint.
- An “imported” case of coronavirus from Italy was reported from east Zhejiang province, the latest after Beijing, Guangdong and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
- A 35-year-old Thai retail worker, who also had dengue fever, died from the infection in a Bangkok suburb, in the country’s first death from the disease, officially called Covid-19.
- Punjab government had refused to extend Sharif’s bail, declaring that it had found no “legal, moral or medical ground” necessitating an extension in his stay abroad.
- The United States has 22 reported cases of coronavirus and health officials have warned there are more but have also sought to reassure Americans that their risk of contracting the illness was “low”.
- Biden’s emphatic victory effectively ended Senator Bernie Sanders’s winning spree that started in Iowa and continued through New Hampshire to Nevada last week.
- The collision between the Guoxing 1 and a 138-tonne Japanese fishing boat happened around 10 pm (1300) GMT and the cause is unknown, Japan Coast Guard spokesman Tomoyuki Hanzawa said.
- Biden hopes the South Carolina victory will be enough to establish him as the clear alternative to Sanders as the race moves into a new phase.
- The virus has now hit 61 countries across the globe, prompting the World Health Organization to raise its risk assessment to its highest level.
- KK Venugopal, the Centre’s top law officer, had told the bench that Sara Abdullah Pilot had not demonstrated any reason for not approaching the high court in the first instance but directly coming to the Supreme Court.
- The West Bengal Chief Minister also condemned the slogans raised during the visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Kolkata.
- The renaming of the chowk drew mixed reactions from the people with most of them welcoming the decision but urged the JMC to focus more on development and cleanliness rather than changing names.
- North Korea fired two short-range projectiles off its eastern coastal city of Wonsan - from where it has fired a series of missiles - into the sea, JCS said.
- Delhi violence which broke out in Jafrabad, Maujpur, Babarpur, Chand Bagh, Shiv Vihar, Bhajan Pura, Yamuna Vihar and Mustafabad areas of Northeast district.
- Chief Justice of India SA Bobde said the Supreme Court would hear the petition for FIRs over hate speeches but don’t prevent such things from happening.”
- The Congress has announced it will press for Union home minister Amit Shah’s resignation and will spare no efforts to attack the Narendra Modi government over the riots.
- The Bihar CM’s meeting with the leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav twice in the Assembly has added spice to various political theories doing the rounds, while the RJD leader too, with his somewhat mellowed approach, tried not to refute anything.
- Prashant Kishor was expelled from Janata Dal (United) by Nitish Kumar for questioning the party’s stand on Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA.
- In the previous session, the Sensex logged its second-biggest one-day fall in history as concerns over the coronavirus triggered a manic global sell-off.
- National Testing Agency (NTA) has started the online registration process for ICAR AIEEA 2020 for UG and PG courses and ICAR AICE 2020 for JRF/SRF on its official website.
- The institute conducted the CEED 2020 entrance examination on January 18, 2020, at various centres.
- BIS is conducting the recruitment drive to fill 150 vacancies of Scientist-‘B’ in the specified disciplines and categories.
- CBSE will be conducting the CTET on July 5, 2020, at various examination centres spread across the country.
- Migrants will have to score a minimum of 70 points to be eligible to apply for a United Kingdom work visa.
- The government estimated that gross value added (GVA), which is GDP minus net taxes, grew at 4.5 percent in 2019-20 against 4.8 percent in Q2.
- India's economy expanded at its slowest pace in more than six years in the last three months of 2019, with analysts predicting further deceleration as the global coronavirus outbreak stifles growth in Asia's third-largest economy.
- But these measures are unlikely to help in a big way to revive bank loan demand, the problem is the demand slump and lack of economic activities on the ground, not the high cost of money
- Real Madrid won the Clasico and might have saved their season as they ended their slump in the best way possible, by beating Barcelona 2-0 and returning to the top of La Liga.
- Thailand’s MotoGP will be “postponed” due to the coronavirus, deputy prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul, a day after the season-opening Qatar race was cancelled.
- Raul Jimenez boosted Wolves’ bid to qualify for the Champions League as his late winner capped the visitors’ dramatic fightback in their 3-2 victory at Tottenham.
- Manchester City claimed the League Cup for the fourth time in five seasons by beating Aston Villa 2-1 at Wembley thanks to goals from Sergio Aguero and Rodrigo.
- Nokia Chief Executive Rajeev Suri will step down in September and is to be replaced by Pekka Lundmark, until now the CEO of energy group Fortum , the telecoms equipment maker said.
1. International News
- The US and the Taliban signed a deal that could lead to the complete withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan over the next 14 months if the insurgents deliver on commitments not to allow the country to be used by terror groups and commence intra-Afghan negotiations.
- US President Donald Trump hailed a deal that the United States signed with Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan and said he would be personally meeting leaders of the group in the near future.
- The first death from the novel coronavirus has been confirmed on US soil, in Washington state, health officials said, after a handful of cases of unknown origin were detected, indicating the disease was spreading in the country.
- The virus has now hit 61 countries across the globe, prompting the World Health Organization to raise its risk assessment to its highest level.
- India reacted cautiously to the US-Taliban deal, reiterating its policy of supporting all moves that ensure peace and stability in Afghanistan.
- The death occurred in King County, the most populous in the state and home to Seattle, a city of more than 700,000 people, officials in the state told AFP.
- Trump confirmed that the first fatality, announced by officials in Washington state, was a woman in her late 50s. She lived in King County, which includes Seattle, local officials said.
- The WHO-China report, which is also very effusive about the steps China took to control the disease, comes in the backdrop of reports that say not only local medical and government authorities, the top leadership of Communist Party of China-ruled country was well aware of the outbreak by early January.
- Donald Trump ran for president on the promise of ending America’s long-running wars such as the one in Afghanistan and bring troops home.
- U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Doha, US defense secretary Mark Esper met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Kabul where they announced a joint declaration.
- The U.S. invaded Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to overthrow the Taliban, who had hosted Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida as they planned and celebrated the assault.
- UK home secretary Priti Patel has been the subject of reports of allegedly not being trusted by Britain’s intelligence agencies, who reportedly hold back information from her.
- President Ram Nath Kovind gave his nod for resuming delimitation exercise in the northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, and Nagaland by rescinding/canceling the February 8, 2008 order.
- 19th edition of World Productivity Congress (WPC) will be held from May 6 to May 8, 2020, at the Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre, Bengaluru, Karnataka.
- Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Delhi, senior Congress leader Harish Rawat announced free electricity and water every day in Uttarakhand if his party is elected in the assembly elections in 2022.
- Shiv Sena leader and state urban development department (UDD) minister Eknath Shinde indicated that his party supports the announcement of bringing back 5% reservation for Muslims in educational institutions.
- Police officials, who reached the spot, said they are investigating the cause of the accident after ensuring that the injured are shifted for treatment.
- A 40-member team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) recovered five bodies from the quarry in a rescue operation which lasted over 38 hours.
- Kerala’s literacy mission has introduced a new scheme ‘Changathi’ (friend) to target illiterate migrant laborers and its planners say it is doing wonders.
- Amit Shah said India has joined the list of countries along with the United States and Israel who can strike in enemy territory and avenge the death of its soldiers.
- Amit Shah arrived in Kolkata to take part in a series of events, including a public rally from which he will launch the BJP’s campaign seeking an end to what it calls the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government’s misrule in West Bengal.
- The accident took place when the boat sprung a leak, the police said, adding 35 passengers swam to safety near Mahunji village under Dheena police station limits.
- Trump talked about Prime Minister Modi as well as the love he said he got from the audience at the packed to seams Motera Stadium in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad
- The deployment came in the wake of a call by a right-wing group, Hindu Sena to clear the Shaheen Bagh road on March 1.
- Jeetu Khateek’s family and protesters have been sitting with his body outside the hospital, where the scrap dealer died during treatment.
- Kendriya Hindi Sansthan, Agra has invited online applications for the two years Regular Teachers Training Programmes on its official website.
- The HRD ministry has asked the Delhi University to resolve the problems faced by ad-hoc teachers and also fill up the scores of vacant positions that lie unfilled in the country’s premier varsity.
- Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University has released an official notification regarding the Andhra Pradesh Engineering, Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test 2020 (APEAMCET-2020) on its official website.
- Speaking at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), Naidu told students about the need to develop a culture of constant innovation in this country.
- The recruitment drive is being conducted to fill 95 vacancies of Mining Sirdar T&S Gr. C and Surveyor (Mining) T&S Gr. B. Out of which, 88 vacancies are for Mining Sirdar T&S Gr. C, and 7 for Surveyor (Mining) T&S Gr. B.
- India’s benchmark stock index lost 3.64% after coronavirus fears spooked investors around the world.
- Bank loan growth to non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) slowed to 32.2% in the reporting month from a growth of 48.3% a year-ago.
- The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth was registered at 5.6 percent in the corresponding quarter of 2018-19, as per the data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO).
- The 33-year-old Nadal, playing in his first tournament since losing in the quarter-finals at the Australian Open last month, didn’t drop a set all week and improved to 19-2 all-time at this event.
- Ismaila Sarr’s double and Troy Deeney’s strike 18 minutes from time ended Liverpool’s hopes of romping to a first league title in 30 years with an unbeaten season as they lost in the league for the first time since January 2019.
- Dethroned world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder has exercised his rematch clause and will fight Tyson Fury a third time, according to media reports.
- Malaysia’s premier, marking the return of a scandal-mired regime to power after the last government’s collapse but ex-leader Mahathir Mohamad slammed the move as illegal.
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