NATIONAL AFFAIRS
‘Hyderabad has best standard of living’
Hyderabad for the third year in a row has emerged as the best city in terms of living standards among Indian cities, while Vienna has been ranked at the top globally in a list by consultancy firm Mercer. The National Capital for the second straight year hit the lowest score among Indian cities for living standards.
Delhi records coldest March day in decade
The Capital recorded the coldest day in March since 2007. The minimum temperature plunged to 9.1 degree Celsius, seven notches below average, while the maximum temperature was pegged at 26.6 degree Celsius, three notches below the normal, said by a Meteorological Department.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Bangladesh PM on 3-day visit to India from April 7
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will pay a state visit to India from April 7 to 10 to further expand the relationship between the two neighbours. Ms. Hasina will travel to India after seven years.
BANKING & BUSINESS
Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, Vistara ink pact
Singapore Airlines (SIA) and its subsidiary
SilkAir have signed an agreement to code
share on Indian domestic flights operated by
Vistara. Vistara is a joint venture between
Tata Sons and
SIA.
SIA will add its ‘SQ’ designator code to Vistara. SilkAir will add its code to Vistara-operated flights beyond Bengaluru and Kolkata to six destinations.
Facebook and TLabs join hands to fortify mobile based startups
Facebook and TLabs accelerator have partnered to strengthen the mobile startup ecosystem in India. Both Facebook and TLabs have a strong focus and expertise on Internet and Mobile businesses, and will build on the knowledge and learnings of in-house senior mentors to engage and educate budding entrepreneurs.
Tata Steel, Wipro in world’s most ethical companies’ list
Two Indian companies, Tata Steel and Wipro, have been named in the list of world’s most ethical companies by American think tank Ethisphere Institute. The list was dominated by US-based companies as around 98 of the 124 companies were from that country.
Uber launches ‘realtime ID check’ in India for rider safety
Uber is rolling out a
‘realtime ID check’ feature to ensure the driver using the
app matches the account registered with the ride-hailing platform. The feature is being launched in
five cities in India – Delhi, Mumbai,
Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata and more locations will follow, said by Uber.
Retail Inflation increases to 3.65 per cent in Feb, WPI at 6.55 per cent
India’s headline
inflation rate based on the
Consumer Price Index (combined) went up to was
3.65 per cent in February compared with
3.17 per cent in January and 5.26 per cent a year ago, data released by statistics office.
Inflation based on wholesale prices shot up to 39-month high of 6.55 per cent in February because of costlier food and fuel items.
World Bank loan for MP solar plant
The World Bank has agreed to provide loan to develop internal transmission arrangements of the upcoming Rewa Ultra Mega Solar project in Madhya Pradesh. It will provide 25 per cent of the loan amount under its Clean Technology Fund, where the money will be provided at an interest rate of only 0.25 per cent.
SBI to allow one-time settlement for tractor, farm equipment loans
State Bank of India (SBI) said it would allow one-time settlements for tractor and farm equipment loans that make up about Rs.6,000 crore. Special SBI OTS for tractor and farm mechanization loans 2016-17. Avail of benefits until March 31.
APPOINTMENTS AND RESIGNS
Shashank Manohar resigns from ICC chairman’s post
Shashank Manohar resigned as ICC chairman after merely eight months in office citing personal reasons. The former BCCI president, who controversially left the board in May 2016 to take up the post of ICC chairman.
Pawan Goenka to continue as chairman of IIT Madras
Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd managing director
Pawan Goenka will continue to be the chairman of the board of governors of
Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) till June 2020.President of India as head of the institution has approved his nomination for a second term.
Biren Singh sworn in as Manipur CM
Biren Singh was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Manipur in Imphal. The oath was administered by Governor Najma Heptulla. Eight others were also sworn in, taking the number of ministers in the BJP-led government in Manipur to nine. Yumnan Joykumar Singh of the National People’s Party (NPP) was appointed as deputy Chief Minister.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
A glow-in-the-dark frog found in Argentina
Scientists have discovered the world’s first fluorescent frog in Argentina that sports a muted palette of greens, yellows and reds under normal light, but gives off a bright blue and green glow in the dark. The ability to absorb light at short wavelengths and reemit it at longer wavelengths is called fluorescence, and is rare in terrestrial animals.
‘Our cost-effective test will help detect typhoid in just 7 hours’
Saurabh Singh and
Vikas Pandey, two former students of the
Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi, have developed a rapid
diagnostic method for typhoid with a turnaround diagnosis time of
seven hours. The newest diagnostic tool is simple to manage, portable and most importantly
“cost effective”, making it a more viable option for the rural masses.
The Pfizer-IIT Delhi Innovation and IP Program (PIDIIP) aligned with the “Start-up India, Stand up India” national campaign helped the duo develop this test. Mr. Saurabh Singh, the CEO and co-founder of Valetude Primus Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.
SPORTS
Bhubaneswar to host Asian Athletics
Bhubaneswar will host the Asian Athletics Championships in July after Ranchi pulled out of staging the continental event. Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar will host the event from July 1 to 4. The state government has agreed to sanction the required funds. So, it is now finalised that that Kalinga Stadium will host the event, said by Odisha Athletics Association President Jagmohan Patnaik.
Olympic champion Rowsell-Shand retires
Double Olympic cycling track gold medallist Joanna Rowsell-Shand brought the curtain down on her stellar career. The 28-year-old won team pursuit gold in the London and Rio Games. She is also a five-time World champion in pursuit events.
Bangladesh becomes the quickest nation to complete a century
Bangladesh becomes quickest to reach 100 test matches after they took the field against Sri Lanka in Colombo. The Bangladeshi team, which also became the 10th nation to play 100 Tests, took 16 years, 4 months and 6 days to achieve the feat, surpassing Sri Lanka’s record of 18 years, 3 months and 29 days.
Historic Events of the Day
World Consumer Rights Day Celebrated on March 15th every year
World Consumer Rights Day (WCRD) is an awareness day, which is observed on March 15, 2017. It is an opportunity to promote the basic rights of all consumers, demanding that those rights are respected and protected. Theme for World Consumer Rights Day 2017 is ‘Building a Digital World Consumers can Trust’.
Google’s New Doodle Marks 140 Years of Test Cricket
Google is celebrating the 140th anniversary of the first ever cricket Test match, which was played between England and Australia, with a doodle. Australia’s Charles Bannerman created history by scoring 165 in the match. Even India debuted in Test cricket against England. The match was played in Lords stadium in 1932 where England beat India by 158 runs.
OBITUARY
Record-breaking marathoner dies at 86
Ed Whitlock, an England born Canadian runner who became the first septuagenarian to run a marathon in under three hours, died at the age of 86. He then set the World masters marathon records for ages 75-plus, 80-plus and, most recently, 85-plus.
