Sports
1. Pankaj Advani wins 34th National Snooker title
- Ace Indian cueist Pankaj Advani clinched the National 6-Red Snooker Championship with a convincing 7-3 final over Maharashtra’s Ishpreet Singh in Ahmedabad.
- It is overall 34th national title for Advani.
- In the women’s edition, Amee Kamani overcame Vidya Pillai 4-2 to win the title.
International Affairs
2. World Health Organization declares Covid-19 as a pandemic
- World Health Organization (WHO) has characterised the new coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic.
- According to WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the number of cases and deaths are likely to rise in the coming days and weeks.
- UN chief Antonio Guterres has urged world governments to urgently scale up their response to the novel coronavirus if they are to stand a chance of stemming its spread.
Banking & Finance
3. SBI cuts fixed deposit rates, MCLRs in 2nd reduction in a month
- State Bank of India has announced a reduction in its MCLR or marginal cost of funding-based lending rates by 10-15 basis points across tenors, and a cut in its fixed deposit interest rates.
- The SBI has reduced retail term deposits (less than Rs 2 crore) by 10 to 50 basis points for a few tenors.
- The new rates for home loans and fixed deposits will take effect from 10th March.
- The SBI also reduced bulk FD rates by 15 bps for deposits with tenors of 180 days and above.
State Affairs
4. Maharashtra govt approves implementation of "happy hour" for autorickshaws
- Maharashtra government has approved the implementation of "happy hour" for autorickshaws as recommended by Khatua panel.
- A government resolution states that fares will be slashed by 15 per cent between 12 noon and 4 pm.
- The decision will however not be applicable to local taxis and app-based taxis.
- The new concept will turn lean hours to happy hours, especially for housewives and senior citizens who normally don't have a fixed schedule for their outings.
Sports
5. Mohun Bagan are the Hero I-League Champions 2019-2020
- Indian football heavyweights Mohun Bagan clinched their second I-League title with a 1-0 win over Aizawl FC at Kalyani, West Bengal.
- Their first I-League title came in 2014-15 season.
- Bagan lifted the title even when four rounds are still to go in the season.
- With this win, Mohun Bagan has 39 points from 16 matches.
National Affairs
6. Main national event for International Day of Yoga to be held at Leh
- The main national event for the International Day of Yoga will be held at Leh (capital of Ladakh) on the 21st of June 2020.
- The event will be led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
- The event promises to be unique and different since such a large congregation for Yoga will be taking place in a high altitude location like Leh for the first time.
- A 45-minute yoga drill based on Common Yoga Protocol is the highlight.
National Affairs
7. PCI puts national & state championships on hold till April 15
- The Paralympic Committee of India has decided to put on hold all national and state championships till 15th April in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
- The PCI was scheduled to host national para-athletics championship in Mysore.
- National swimming championship was to be held also from 28th March 2020 in Bengaluru.
- Shooting World Cup and the Indian Open golf tournament were impacted due to COVID-19 both of which have been postponed for later this year.
Sports
8. Tiger Woods to be inducted into World Golf Hall of Fame in 2021 class
- American golfer Tiger Woods (15 major titles winner) will be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2021.
- Woods was among 10 finalists named in March as candidates for 2021.
- His 93 worldwide victories include a record-tying 82 US PGA Tour titles.
- He won his 15th major title at the Masters last April, ending an 11-year major drought after career-threatening injuries.
- The 2021 class was chosen by Hall's selection committee, a 20-member panel.
National & International Appointments
9. Deswal gets additional charge of BSF DG
- Senior IPS officer Surjit Singh Deswal (1984-batch Haryana cadre) took over the additional charge of Director General (DG) of Border Security Force (BSF).
- Currently,Mr. Deswal is the Director-General of Indo-Tibet Border Police.
- He has succeeded Director-General Vivek Johri, who has been appointed Director-General of Madhya Pradesh Police.
Honours & Awards
10. Byju Raveendran & Gaurav Gupta on WEF's Young Global Leaders list
- Byju Raveendran (Byju Classes' founder) and Gaurav Gupta (Zomato's co-founder) are among the five Indians named by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in its new list of 115 Young Global Leaders.
- These 'change-makers' from as many as 52 countries are working in areas ranging from revamping of health systems to investigating corruption while using their power of the under the 40s to change the world.
- The other three Indians are T S Vachani, V Mutreja, and S Mehra.
Sports
11. Chennaiyin FC's Schembri to retire from professional football
- Chennaiyin FC's Maltese forward Andre Schembri (33-years) announced he will retire from professional football after the Indian Online Classroom Program League final against ATK FC in Goa.
- He will be aiming to go out on a high, hopefully by helping CFC win its third ISL title.
- Schembri, the first Maltese player to feature in ISL, has been an integral part of Chennaiyin's success this season.
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