Extesive Coverage Of Current Affairs 21/3/2016

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International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 2016 observed 

·  The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 2016 was observed on 21 March 2016 with the theme Challenges and Achievements of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action.

International Day of Forests observed on 21^st March: 

·         The International Day of Forests, the 21st day of March, was established by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on November 28, 2012.

·         Each year, various events celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests, and trees outside forests, for the benefit of current and future generations.

·         The theme of the 2016 International Day of Forests is “forests and water”.

NATIONAL:

India distributes scholarships to over 800 Bangladeshi students under Muktijodha Scholarship Scheme:

·   India distributed scholarships to over 800 Bangladeshi students under the Muktijodha Scholarship Scheme.

·         The scholarships were distributed in Dhaka at the hands of Minister for Liberation War Affairs in the presence of Indian High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Sringla.

·   The Scholarship scheme was initiated by the Indian government in 2006 to strengthen the historic legacy that both countries share in fighting and winning the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War against Pakistan.

No change in reservation policy for Dalits: Narendra Modi:

·  Making it clear that there will be no change in the reservation policy for Dalits, Narendra Modi Monday asserted nobody can snatch their right even as he accused his opponents of spreading "untruths" on the issue.

·         The Prime Minister also compared Constitution architect B R Ambedkar to Martin Luther King who had fought for the rights of blacks.

·         Delivering the Ambedkar Memorial Lecture in New Delhi, Modi said, "Nothing has ever happened to the reservation for Dalits, tribals, when we are in power but still lies are being spread to mislead people."

Govt pays GMR's 'due' in Chhattisgarh:

·       Chhattisgarh government had deposited money that factually GMR Group was supposed to pay for disbursing compensation to project affected farmers.

·         The GMR Chhattisgarh Energy Limited, a subsidiary of GMR Group, is setting up 1370 Mw (2x685 Mw) super critical coal based power plant located in Raikheda of Raipur district. 

Election Commission to help poll candidates file accurate info:

·         Hundreds of trained ‘return preparers’ have been sent to West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, where elections will be held soon, so that candidates return accurate information to the Election Commission.

·         The preparers will help candidate’s e-file affidavits and statements of expenditure made during polls. They will also help in reducing the problem of wrong declarations, an official said.

J&K Governor urges NH status for Mughal road

·         Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra requested Road Transport and Highways Minister NitinGadkari to declare Mughal Road as a national highway and approve the construction of a tunnel on it.

·         The declaration would provide an all-weather route connecting Kashmir’s Shopian district with Poonch district in Jammu region, Vohra said in a letter.

Atomic material smuggling racket busted:

·        A smuggling racket involved in exporting an atomic mineral called Beryl to China was busted by the Department of Atomic Energy, Intelligence Bureau and Rajasthan Police’s Anti-Terrorism Squad in January, said a government official. About 31 tonnes of Beryl was reportedly recovered from the racket and six people were arrested.

INTERNATIONAL:

U.S. general Lori Robinson to become first woman to lead combatant command

:

·         US President Barack Obama has decided to nominate Air Force General Lori J Robinson to lead all military forces in North America, making her the first woman to lead a military combatant command.

·         Lori Robinson currently serves as the Commander of US Air Forces Pacific.She has served in a variety of leadership positions in the Air Force. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton welcomed the decision.

·         Northern Command was created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to coordinate and improve homeland defense and to provide support for national disasters. She would replace Adm. William Gortney, who is retiring.

6.6 magnitude earthquake hit off east coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula

·         A 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit off the east coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.

·         According to the US Geological Survey, the quake struck at a depth of 29 kilometres with its epicentre located 128 miles south of Ust’-KamchatskStaryy.

EU, Turkey Agreement to tackle migrant crisis comes into effect

·         The agreement between the European Union (EU) and Turkey to tackle the migrant crisishas formally come into effect.

·         Under this agreement, migrants arriving in Greece will be sent back to Turkey if their asylum claim is rejected.

BANKING NEWS:

RBI rejects banks' demand to defer MCLR

·         The Reserve Bank of India has rejected bankers' demand to defer the operationalization of MCLR, or marginal cost of funds based lending, even as many lenders said that they are not ready to adopt the system.

·         The new system will be operational from April 1 and many banks fear that their margins will be hit if the new method is implemented, while others said that the cost of lending could also go up. 

4-5 Pakistan banks keen to open branches in India: SBP Deputy Governor Saeed Ahmad:

·         As many as 4-5 Pakistani banks are interested in setting up branches in India and are waiting for some movement in this area between the two countries, Pakistan's central bank.

·         In August 2012, both the sides had agreed to issue full banking licenses to two banks from each country.

SEBI considering doing away with requirement of fresh KYC for opening of new accounts in securities market

·         Indian capital market regulator SEBI is considering doing away with the requirement of a fresh KYC for opening of new accounts in securities market if the investor has got a bank account.

·         Under the proposed move, the market intermediaries like mutual funds would rather be allowed to use the Know Your Customer or KYC checks conducted by banks themselves.

Banking shares gain; Nifty PSU Bank index up 2%:

·        Banking shares mainly public sector banks (PSB) were trading higher on the bourses in early morning trade after the government announced a steep cut in interest rates on small savings schemes.

·        State Bank of India (SBI), Punjab National Bank (PNB), IDBI Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Allahabad Bank, Bank of India and Bank of Baroda were up more than 1% each on the National Stock Exchange (NSE).

·         Meanwhile, thus far in March 2016, the PSU Bank index outperformed the market by gaining 20% as compared to 13% rise in Nifty Bank and 9% gain in Nifty50 index.

BUSINESS NEWS:

BSNL to invest Rs.2,000 cr in modernisation drive

·        State-run telecom firm BSNL has announced an investment of Rs.2,000 crore for carrying out a major modernisation drive across India.

·        Under this, the company will focus on rural areas and almost 50-60% of the investment will be targeted at making 3G coverage stronger and faster.

·        BSNL will also install free public Wi-Fi hotspots across all historic and religious monuments.

New Facebook Tools Allow Marketers to Gauge Ad Impact:

·     Facebook has announced two new tools to help marketers gauge the effectiveness of ads on the social networking website.

·        Lift API" feature helps many more advertisers, Facebook's marketing partners and other third-party measurement partners create their own lift studies for conversion rates, sales and mobile app installs. 

·         It builds on the Lift measurement tool Facebook initially announced in January this year which has since been employed by more than 1,000 businesses in various industries to gauge Facebook ads' effectiveness across their objectives, adweek.com reported on Sunday.

India aims to capture 20% of IoT market: NASSCOM

·         According to NASSCOM, India aims to capture 20% market share in the Internet of Things (IoT) sector by 2020.

·         Further, the global IoT business is expected to touch $300 billion by 2020.

·         NASSCOM's Vice President (Industrial Initiative) KS Vishwanathan said that IoT is driving the fourth wave of industrial revolution in sectors like manufacturing, energy, transportation and medical.

Jindal Steel slaps ₹123 cr notice on BHEL:

·         Jindal Steel and Power Limited (LSPL)has slapped a ₹123 crore notice on state-owned power equipment maker BHEL, citing delays in execution of projects at JSPL's coal-based plant at Tamnar, Chhattisgarh.

·         The total contract value of the projects stands at ₹600 crore. In reply, BHEL reportedly said that such claims often arise due to delays from the client as well.

Infibeam’s Rs450 crore IPO opens for subscription today:

·         Infibeam Incorporation Ltd, the first e-commerce firm to trade on Indian stock exchanges, will launch its initial public offering (IPO) to raise Rs.450 crore.

·         Kotak Mahindra Capital and ICICI Securities withdrew as bankers to the issue. SBI Capital Markets Ltd and Elara Capital (India) Pvt. Ltd are the only two bankers managing the offer currently.

·         Infibeam has fixed a price band of Rs.360-432 per share for it public offer, and investors deem it to be expensive.

APPOINTMENTS:

Govt appointments RituBeri advisor for Khadi promotion:

·         Fashion designer RituBeri has been appointed as the advisor to the union government's statutory body Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) for promotion of khadi within India and globally.

·         Speaking about the appointment of Beri, KVIC Chairman Vinay Kumar Saxena said, "Beri would advise on introduction of state of the art multi-fashion designs and styles in khadi ready made garments.

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MoU’s AND AGREEMENTS SIGNED:

AP Government signed MoU with Cisco to launch AP Fiber Net:

·         The Government of Andhra Pradesh and Cisco on 17 March 2016 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to design and implement the AP Fiber Net project.

·         The MoU was signed during the launch of phase one of the project by State Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu in Visakhapatnam.

Nepal signs transit treaty with China; to have first rail link:

·         China today agreed to Nepal Prime Minister K P Oli's request to build a strategic railway link between the two countries through Tibet to reduce land-locked Nepal's total dependence on India.

·         The two sides cemented their ties by signing 10 agreements including a landmark transit trade deal. 

·         Oli, who arrived here yesterday on his maiden seven-day visit to China, was given a red carpet welcome by Premier Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the People.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:

Twitter lists India's top 10 iconic moments

·         On the occasion of its 10th birthday, microblogging website Twitter has released a list of India's top 10 iconic moments on the platform over the last decade.

·         It includes Mumbai terrorist attacks, India winning the Cricket World Cup, Nirbhaya rape case, Sachin Tendulkar's retirement, Chennai floods and Mangalyaan reaching Mars. Twitter has also sent 'thank you' e-mails to its users.

MRI more accurate than ultrasound to predict preterm birth

·         For mothers-to-be, going for an MRI of the cervix area can give more accurate results than ultrasound to predict if some women will give a preterm birth, say researchers.

·         Early dilation of the cervix, a neck of tissue connecting the uterus with the vagina, during pregnancy can lead to premature delivery.

·         Women in their second trimester of pregnancy with a cervix measuring 15 millimeters or less, as seen on ultrasound, are considered to be at higher risk of preterm birth.

India's defence lab develops thermal imaging radar to look through walls:

·         The Through Barrier Imaging Radar, named 'Divyachakshu' (divine eye), has been developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) Electronics & Radar Development Establishment (LRDE) based in Bangalore and is going through development trials now.

·         It can look through walls of 20-30 cm thickness made of any material, by using thermal imaging.

PM Modi launches 'KisanSuvidha' app for farmers:

·         Prime Minister NarendraModi has launched 'KisanSuvidha' app for farmers to provide information on weather, market prices, seeds, fertilisers, crop protection and agricultural machinery.

·         The app will also send extreme weather alerts to farmers. Market prices of commodity in the nearest market and the maximum price in state as well as India will also be available on the app.

I-T Dept gets new IT tool to find duplicate PAN:

·         The Income Tax department has got a new technology tool to check for duplicate Permanent Account Number (PAN) cards.

·       The department earlier used to check for duplicity of PAN in a manual fashion, a senior official said.

·   The system, upon finding a duplicate PAN, will direct the taxman to inform applicants to surrender the duplicate identity.

VR headset that works without phone, PC made:

·         Sulon Technologies, a Toronto-based startup, has developed 'Sulon Q', a headset which allows virtual reality, augmented reality and spatial computing without connecting to a smartphone or a computer.

·        The headset has a 2,560 x 1,440 resolution OLED display, which is sharper than both Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets. It comes with spatial earbuds to create three-dimensional sound of space.

OBIUTRY:

Anker Joergensenformer PM of Denmark passed away:

·         Former Prime Minister of Denmark Anker Joergensen passed away on 20 March 2016 in Copenhagen. He was 93.

·         Joergensen served as the Prime Minister of the country from 1972 to 1973 and again from 1975 to 1982.

·         In 1950, Joergensen became a member of a trade union. He led the Danish Workers Union, SiD, between 1968 and 1972.

SPORTS NEWS:

First Indian to win Gold Medal in Asian 20 Kilometer Race Walk: Gurmeet Singh

·         His feat was the first time in 34 years that an Indian won a gold in either an Asian Championships or Asian Games in this event.

·         Hakam Singh and Chand Ram won a Gold medal each in 20-km road walk in 1978 and 1982 Asian Games respectively. Since then, no Indian won a Gold medal at the continental level in this event.

60-hour tennis match sets Guinness world record:

·       As a part of Sport Relief's charity drive, four British tennis coaches finished playing a tennis doubles match for 60 hours straight.

·         The match broke the Guinness world record for the longest doubles match ever played, surpassing the previous record of 57 straight hours.

·    Earlier the Sport Relief drive also featured a 57-hour long five-a-side football match.

Andre Fletcher gives WI 7-wicket win over SL

·       West Indies won their second match of the World T20 as they defeated Sri Lanka by seven wickets at Bangalore.

·    Man-of-the-match Andre Fletcher's 84*(64) helped West Indies chase down Sri Lanka's total of 122 with 10 balls to spare.

·       Notably, Fletcher opened the batting for West Indies in place of an injured Chris Gayle.

Chhetri ruled out of India's World Cup qualifier vs Iran

·         Influential skipper Sunil Chhetri has been ruled out of India's World Cup qualifier against Iran owing to a groin injury, dealing a body blow to the beleaguered outfit's prospects of putting up a fight.

·         The match for Russia 2018 World Cup Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 is slated to be played in Tehran on Thursday.

·         A 22-member team on Monday left for the forthcoming game.

·     Six players from the list of 28 probables, including injured striker Chhetri, didn't travel with the squad.

England won their 1st 6-nation Grand Slam in 13 years

·         In Rugby, England have won their first 6-nation Grand Slam in 13 years after holding out to secure a historic victory over France in Paris.

·         First half tries from Danny Care and Dan Cole had given them a five point half time lead, only for the relentless penalty precision of MaximeMachenaud to keep France within touching distance.

HS Prannoy clinches Swiss Open GP Gold badminton title:

·         H S Prannoy clinched his second Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament title by notching up a straight game victory over Marc Zwiebler of Germany in the summit clash of the Swiss Open

·         This is Prannoy's second Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament title.

·         Saina had lost to third seed Yihan 11-21, 19-21 in the semi-finals.

International Affairs

• The fourth 'International Day of Forests' is being observed today.
• This day was initiated by the United Nations to raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests and trees. 
• As per the UN, around 1.6 billion people, including over 2,000 indigenous cultures, depend on forests for their livelihood.
• Theme for 2016 : Forests and water
• Today (21st March) is World Puppet Day.
• World Poetry Day is being observed today.
• This day was declared by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1999.
  
• The purpose of the day is to promote the reading, writing, publishing and teaching of poetry throughout the world.
• World Down Syndrome Day is being observed today.
• International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination observed across the world today.
• On this day, in 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid pass laws.
• Proclaiming the day in 1966, the United Nations General Assembly called on the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.
• China today agreed to build the first ever rail link to Nepal. 
• The nations also signed a transit trade deal. 
• The deal, and nine other agreements aimed at reducing landlocked Nepal's total dependence on India, were signed during Nepal PM KP Oli's China visit. 
• This came after a nearly six-month long "unofficial blockade" due to Madhesi protests crippled Nepal.
• United States President Barack Obama is on a visit to Cuba.
• He is the first US President to visit the country in 88 years. 
• Obama met Cuban President Raúl Castro today and discussed economic and democratic reforms.

National Affairs

• The National Food Security Act (NFSA) will be implemented in 10 more statesfrom April 1 this year, said Union Minister of Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan today. 
• Important Note : With this, the total number of states implementing NFSA will be 21. 
• India has distributed scholarships to over 800 Bangladeshi students under the 'Muktijodha Scholarship Scheme'.
• Important Points to Note : 
• The Indian Government in 2006 initiated the scholarship scheme to strengthen the historic legacy that both countries share in fighting and winning the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War against Pakistan.
• Under the scheme, descendants of freedom fighters get selected on merit basis to pursue undergraduate studies.
• It is estimated that over 9500 students have been benefited from the scheme so far. 
• Under the scheme, more than 130 million takas have been distributed so far.

Places in News

• India's Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve has been added to UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserve among 20 new sites. 
• Located in the Western Ghats, the site was established in 2001. 
• It includes peaks reaching 1,868 metre above sea level and is home to 2,254 species of higher plants. 
• Of the 18 biosphere reserves in India, nine are included in UNESCO's network.

Deaths

• Former Prime Minister of Denmark Anker Joergensen (93) passed away.
• He served as the Prime Minister of the country from 1972 to 1973 and again from 1975 to 1982.

New Appointments

• Fashion designer Ritu Beri has been appointed as the advisor to the union government's statutory body Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)for promotion of khadi within India and globally. 
• US President Barack Obama has decided to nominate Air Force General Lori J Robinson to lead all military forces in North America.
• With this move, she will be the first woman to lead a military combatant command.

Science & Technology

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched 'Kisan Suvidha' app for farmers to provide information on weather, market prices, seeds, fertilisers, crop protection and agricultural machinery. 
• The app will also send extreme weather alerts to farmers. 
• Market prices of commodities in the nearest market and the maximum price in state as well as India will also be available on the app.
• A new drug to treat multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), Bedaquiline, will be made available from today.
• Bedaquiline became the first TB drug to get a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in over 40 years. 
• The drug will be available in six public hospitals across India. 
• Important Note : India has the highest prevalence of TB in the world.

Sports

• Hockey India today announced the 18-member Indian Hockey team that will take part in the 25th edition of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. 
• While Sardar Singh will lead the team as Captain, SV Sunil will be supporting him as the Vice-Captain. 
• Note : The tournament will be held in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia from 6 to 16 April.
• 'Bharat Kesri Dangal', a freestyle wrestling tournament, began in Gurgaon today. 
• A total of 78 wrestlers will participate in the three-day competition, which is being organised by the Haryana Sports and Youth Affairs Department to commemorate the martyrdom day of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev. 
• A total of 91 matches will be played for the ₹1 crore top prize.
• Akhilesh Das Gupta, the president of the Badminton Authority of India (BAI), announced a ₹5 lakh prize for HS Prannoy, who won the men's singles title at the Swiss Open in Basel on Saturday. 
• Note : Prannoy, who won his career's second Grand Prix title at the Swiss Open, now has a chance to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

:: NATIONAL ::

BJP meet says freedom of expression does not mean call to destroy country

• The BharatiyaJanata Party’s two-day national executive kept its political preoccupations, both with the debate on nationalism and its attempts at making up with the Dalit community.
• On the concluding day of the event, the party announced grand plans for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Mhow, the birth place of Constitution framer B.R. Ambedkar.
• Meet also gave political resolution that “freedom of expression and nationalism do necessarily co-exist” but that this fundamental right does not cover calls to destroy the country.
• Mr. Modi also said, in his address to the executive, that the party and the government “was accepting of political criticism of itself, but not of the nation.”
• The resolution highlighted government efforts like building memorials for Ambedkar in Maharashtra and London where he had stayed or how entrepreneurs belonging to weaker sections were being given loans under the Mudra scheme to develop an “institution of Dalit entrepreneurs.”
• Home Minister Rajnath Singh said Mr. Modi told partymen “not to be distracted by attempts by an envious opposition to embroil them in controversies.”

FM said interest rate cut will help economy

• Faced with a fresh outcry over the decision to lower returns on small savings schemes, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the economy needs lower interest rates to become more efficient and high deposit rates would keep it “sluggish.”
• Interest rates had risen a lot, so the cost of borrowing for the government and others was high, but now they have come down.
• The way the economy is moving, we cannot have a situation where lending rates are going down but deposit rates remain high,” he said.
• Both rates are linked. To make the economy more efficient rather than sluggish, the country has to move towards lower interest rates in both.
• The government announced new interest rates on small savings instruments on Friday, slashing the returns on Public Provident Fund savings from 8.7 per cent to 8.1 per cent and one year post office deposits from 8.4 per cent to 7.1 per cent.
• These interest rates will be reset every quarter based on a formula linked to the rate of return on government securities.

20 mew sites added to UNESCO biosphere nature reserves

• The United Nation’s cultural body UNESCO has added 20 new sites to its network of protected biosphere nature reserves, including two in Canada and two in Portugal.
• The status was conferred during a two-day meeting in Lima, which brought the total number of biosphere reserves to 669 across 120 countries.
• In Canada, the Tsa Tue area in the country’s Northwest Territories that includes the last pristine arctic lake was added to the list, as was the Beaver Hills region of Alberta, which has a landscape formed by a retreating glacier.
• Britain’s Isle of Man, located in the Irish Sea in a biologically diverse marine environment, and Mexico’s Isla Cozumel were also selected for the network.
• And in Portugal, the entire Island of Sao Jorge, the fourth largest in the Azores Archipelago, was designated a reserve in addition to the Tajo River region between Portugal and Spain.
• The list of new UNESCO biosphere reserves also includes sites in Algeria, Ghana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines and Tanzania.
• Of the hundreds of locations on the list, 16 are sites that stretch across more than one country. Spain is the country with the largest number of registered reserves.
• Meanwhile, the Australia ended its push to log World Heritage-listed forests on the island State of Tasmania on Sunday, after UNESCO issued a report calling for the area to remain protected from logging.

:: INTERNATIONAL ::

U.S. President to make historical Cuba visit

• U.S. President Barack Obama wasdue in Cuba on Sunday to bury the hatchet in a more than half-century-long Cold War conflict that turned the communist island and its giant neighbour into bitter enemies.
• Reversing generations of U.S. attempts to cut Cuba from the outside world, Mr. Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and their two daughters will arrive in Havana for a three-day trip.
• It won’t just be the first visit by a sitting U.S. President since Fidel Castro’s guerrillas overthrew the U.S.-backed government of Fulgencio Batista in 1959, but the first since President Calvin Coolidge came 88 years ago.
• Mr. Obama, seeking to leave a historic foreign policy mark in his final year in office, was due to see old town Havana, hold talks with Cuban President Raul Castro on Monday, and attend a baseball game.
• For Cubans dreaming of escaping isolation and reinvigorating their threadbare economy, the visit has created huge excitement.
• Although Mr. Obama has already loosened restrictions on U.S. citizens visiting Cuba, the lifting of the decades-old U.S. economic embargo can only be decided by a Republican-dominated Congress that is far less keen on detente with Cuba.
• Republicans and some human rights activists have also criticised Mr. Obama for dealing with Mr. Castro when so many freedoms in Cuba, ranging from the media to politics and economic entrepreneurship, remain highly curtailed.

EU-Turkey refugee deal comes into force

• Flimsy boats packed with migrants continued to land in Greece from Turkey on Sunday despite the start a landmark deal between the European Union and Ankara to stem the massive influx.
• Under the controversial deal, which came into force at midnight, all migrants landing on the Greek islands face being sent back to Turkey.
• And in a grim start to an agreement designed to stop people from making a journey fraught with danger, two little girls were found drowned and two Syrian refugees died of heart attacks on the perilous crossing.
• Greek authorities said 875 migrants landed on the islands overnight, with some 15 boats, each carrying dozens of migrants, arriving on Lesbos alone on Sunday.

:: SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY ::

Space probe New Horizons result revealed by NASA

• NASA scientists associated with interplanetary space probe New Horizons have revealed the former “astronomer’s planet” and its “intriguing system of small moons” in a comprehensive set of papers describing results from last summer’s Pluto system flyby.
• After a 9.5-year, three-billion-mile journey — launching faster and travelling farther than any spacecraft to reach its primary target — New Horizons zipped by Pluto on July 14 last year.
• New Horizons’ seven science instruments collected about 50 gigabits of data on the spacecraft’s digital recorders, most of it coming over nine busy days surrounding the encounter.
• Observing Pluto and Charon up close has caused us to completely reassess thinking on what sort of geological activity can be sustained on isolated planetary bodies in this distant region of the solar system.

BIRAC to start an seed fund to tackle anti-microbial resistance

• In a move to encourage biotechnology start-ups as well as tackle the threat faced by India from resistance to antimicrobial drugs.
• The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) — through the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) — has invested an initial $1,00,000 to start an India-focussed seed fund to help groups in India compete for the Longitude Prize.
• This is a £ 10 million prize offered by Nesta, a U.K. charity, to any individual group anywhere in the world that develops an affordable, effective diagnostic test to detect resistance to microbes.
• BIRAC, since its inception, has supported several social entrepreneurs, BIRAC is supported by the DBT.
• India faces increasing instances of tuberculosis patients being resistant to front line drugs. Experts say this is due to lax monitoring and profligate prescription by medical authorities that allow these drugs to be easily available.
• The World Health Organisation statistics for 2014 give an estimated incidence figure of 2.2 million cases of TB for India out of a global incidence of 9 million, with instances of drug-resistant TB rapidly rising.
• Last December, the DBT laid out a strategy whereby biotechnology would be at the foundation of a $100-billion industry by 2025, rising from the current $7-$10 billion.
• The National Biotechnology Development Strategy, as it is called, expects to launch four missions in healthcare, food and nutrition, clean energy and education; create a technology development and translation network across India with global partnership.

:: BUSINESS and ECONOMY ::

Employee’s facing ate cut of PPF and other small savings

• The government has defended its move to cut rates on small savings schemes from April 1, 2016, its own employees are anxious about the prospect of a similar lowering of interest on their retirement savings under the General Provident Fund or GPF.
• Historically, the rate of return credited to all government employees under the GPF has moved in tandem with the returns on public provident fund or PPF investments.
• The government announced that the PPF rate has been lowered from 8.7 per cent this year to 8.1 per cent for the first quarter of 2016-17.
• For 2014-15, the government had notified the interest rate on small savings schemes and GPF on the same day — March 4, 2014.
• Last year, the small savings scheme returns were announced on March 31, 2015, while the rate of return on GPF and other state PFs.
• The 8.7 per cent rate on GPF and other government staff PFs remains in effect till further orders.
• Last April, while notifying the interest rate on all state PFs including the GPF, the government said it had decided to link these rates to the PPF rates for 2015-16.
• However, the PPF rates would now be recalibrated every quarter.
• The PPF is considered an easily accessible long-term investment instrument for millions who are not employed in the formal sector and therefore, have neither GPF nor EPF account.
• EPF accounts are available to all employees earning upto Rs 15,000 a month in firms employing twenty or more workers.
• There are an estimated 3.2 million central government employees in the country, apart from millions of state government employees who are usually paid the same rate of return as the GPF.
• The 8.7 per cent rate for GPF is also paid on nine other provident funds that include funds dedicated to ordnance factories’ and naval dockyards’ workmen, armed forces personnel, defence services officers.

Banks are likely to reduce interest rates on home and car loans

• Banks are likely to announce revised interest rates, starting April 1, which will lower the amount one earns on deposits and make home and car loans cheaper.
• Lenders may wait till the monetary policy review, due on 5 April, to take a call on rates. The market expects the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to cut interest rate by at least 25 bps.
• A long standing demand by the banks has finally been met by the government which lowered the interest rate of small savings scheme. The interest reduction is various schemes was anywhere between 60 and 130 bps.
• Banks have been stating that due to competition from small savings scheme they were not able to reduce their deposit rate further.
• As a result, the cost of funds were not coming down and hence lending rates could not be lowered.
• The Reserve Bank of India has been prodding banks to cut lending rates in line with the reduction in policy interest rate.
• While RBI has reduced repo rate by 125 bps since January 2015, which now stands at 6.75 per cent , banks’ lending rate reduction was only 70 bps.
• The cut in small savings rate now gives more room to banks to reduce their deposit rates.
• For example, the rate for one-year term deposit under the small savings scheme was reduced to 7.1 per cent from 8.4 per cent.
• The State Bank of India’s one-year deposit rate offers 7.25 per cent (1 year to 455 days tenure). The revised small savings rates will be effective from April 1.
• Clearly as banks reduce deposit rates, the cost of funds — a key component that goes into the pricing of loans — will come down.
• The other reason why lending rates will come down is because banks will shift to Marginal Cost of Funds based Lending Rate (MCLR) from 1 April, as directed by RBI. This new regime of loan pricing will replace the existing regime of Base Rate.
• In the base rate regime, most banks considered average cost of funds while calculating the benchmark lending rate or the Base rate.

SEBI finds various irregularities in Vijay Mallya’s dealings

• Finding prima facie evidence of non-compliance to various norms, including those on insider trading and corporate governance, the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has widened its probe into the dealings of Vijay Mallya-headed UB Group.
• The capital markets watchdog may also seek information from other regulators in India and abroad, as also from the stock exchanges, even as it seeks to de-clog the complex transactions Mallya had entered into, including sale of stake and transfer of rights in his various group companies.
• SEBI began looking into Mallya-Diageo transactions last month, soon after the liquor baron inked a Rs. 515-crore ‘sweetheart deal’ to exit United Spirits, suspecting possible violations of corporate governance and other norms.
• SEBI had found prima-facie evidence of non-compliance to various transactions, while stepping up its cooperation with other regulators and agencies that are separately looking into alleged violations in relation to the massive loans taken by the erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines of UB Group.
• Detailed queries sent to Mallya, including about his possible return to India and the prima-facie evidence found by SEBI, did not elicit any response.

1. Indian Air Force successfully conducted Exercise Iron Fist in Pokhran

1. The Indian Air Force (IAF)  successfully conducted Exercise Iron Fist in Pokhran, Rajasthan.

2. The event was attended by the President of India Pranab Mukherjee, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha.

3. The day-night exercise was aimed at demonstrating IAF’s combat and fire power and reassure the nation about its commitment and capabilities in safeguarding the national interests.

4. It also showcased more than 22 types of platforms and Weapons Systems including Sukhoi-30, Mirage-2000, Jaguar, MiG-29, Attack helicopters, Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), etc.

2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Kisan Suvidha mobile app

1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi  launched Kisan Suvidha mobile application for farmers. It will provide information on subjects such as weather, market prices, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and agriculture machinery.

2. Kisaan Suvidha is an omnibus mobile app developed to help farmers by providing relevant information to them quickly.

3. ICC suspended Bangladesh’s Arafat Sunny and Taskin from bowling in international cricket

1. The International Cricket Council (ICC) on 16 March 2016 suspended Bangladesh’s Arafat Sunny and Taskin from bowling in international cricket.

2. As per the suspension orders, while the two bowlers will be barred from bowling in international cricket, they may be able to play in domestic cricket events played in Bangladesh with the consent of Bangladesh Cricket Board.

3. The suspensions were enforced after independent assessments found the bowling actions of the two bowlers to be illegal. The assessments were performed in early March 2016 at the ICC-accredited testing centre in Chennai.

4. 21 March: International Day of Forests

1. Every year 21st March is being observed as International Day of Forests to raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests and of trees outside forests. The observance of the day is also used to communicate the vital role forests play in to sustain and protect us i.e. in environmental sustainability, food security and poverty eradication.

2. “Forests and water”. The theme highlights importance of forests as key factor to the planet’s supply of freshwater, which is essential for life. It also marks the joint celebration of the International Day of Forests and World Water Day (22nd March).

5. HS Prannoy wins 2016 Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold badminton title

1. Ace Indian shuttler HS Prannoy (World no 13) has won the prestigious 2016 Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold badminton tournament in the men’s single category. In the final match played at Basel, Switzerland, he defeated Marc Zwiebler (World no 7) of Germany 21-18, 21-15 score. It was his second Grand Prix Gold title after the Indonesia Open Grand Prix Gold won in 2014.

6. Yogeshwar Dutt wins Gold medal in Asian Olympic Qualification tournament

1. Star Indian grappler Yogeshwar Dutt has won a Gold medal in the Asian Olympic Qualification tournament in the 65 kg freestyle category. In the final match held at Astana in Kazakhstan, he defeated Katai Yeerlanbieke from China in the 65 kg freestyle category. With this victory he secured an Olympic quota place for India. 

2. He is second Indian wrestler after Narsingh Yadav to secure berth in the 74 kg freestyle category for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

7. March 20: World Sparrow Day

1. The world sparrow day is being observed every year on March 20 to raise awareness of the house sparrow and other common birds to urban environments and threats to their populations. The day was celebrated globally by carrying out different activities and events like awareness campaigns, art competitions and the sparrow processions. 

2. The rationale for celebrating the Day is to use it as a platform to underscore the need to conserve sparrows as well as the urban biodiversity. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on the occasion of this day inaugurated a sparrow conservation programme at school levels.

1) Which station was declared the cleanest railway station in India according to an Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) survey that was released on 17 March 2016? – Surat (Gujarat)

Explanation: The IRCTC survey was conducted at 407 railway stations, which included 75 A-1 stations and 332 A category stations.

– It concluded that Surat has the cleanest railway station in the A-1 category in the country, followed by Rajkot and Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh), Solapur (Maharashtra), Mumbai Central (Maharashtra), Chandigarh, Bhubaneshwar (Odisha) and Vadodara (Gujarat). A-1 category stations are those earning revenues more than 50 crore annual revenue.

– Among the A-category stations (those with revenue between Rs. 6 crore and Rs. 50 crore), Beas (Punjab) followed by Gandhidham (Gujarat), Vasco Da Gama (Goa), Jamnagar (Gujarat), Kumbakonam (Tamil Nadu) and Nasik Road (Maharashtra) were among the cleanest railway stations.

– The said survey was based on feedback collected from around 1.34 lakh railway passengers.

– IRCTC will soon submit the final report to the Railway Ministry that will include responses from railway staff and non-railway service providers.

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2) Jewellers called off their 19-day strike late on 19 March 2016 after government assured they will not be harassed by the excise department in collecting a new tax. What was the main demand of the striking jewellers? – Withdrawal of a 1% excise duty on gold jewellery

Explanation: Jewellers from all over the country went on an indefinite strike from the start of March after government reintroduced a 1% excise duty on gold jewellery after four years. This 1% duty on jewellery sale was proposed in the Union Budget 2016-17.

– But the India Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA) was on 19 March 2016 assured by the Union Govt. that while the excise duty would stay, the jewellers will not be ‘harassed’ by excise department in collecting a new tax.

– The government also decided to form a committee to address jewellers’ concerns, related to implementation of excise duty and will submit its report in 60 days.

– The erstwhile UPA government had also imposed an excise duty on in 2012, but was forced to roll it back after jewellers went on strike.

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3) What is the name of the Oxford University professor who won a £500,000 Norwegian prize for cracking a 300-year-old mystery mathematical theorem called Fermat’s equation? – Sir Andrew Wiles

Explanation: Sir Andrew Wiles has been awarded the Abel Prize by the ‘Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters’ for his proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem, which he published in 1994.

– The academy said Sir Andrew was awarded the prize “for his stunning proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem by way of the modularity conjecture for semistable elliptic curves, opening a new era in number theory”.

– Fermat’s Theorem is among the most notable theorems in the history of mathematics and prior to its proof, it was in the Guinness Book of World Records as the “most difficult mathematical problem”, one of the reasons being that it has the largest number of unsuccessful proofs.

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4) All 62 people aboard a passenger jet flying from Dubai to southern Russia were killed when their plane crashed at Rostov-on-Don airport on 19 March 2016. This aircraft belonged to which airline? – Flydubai

Explanation: A Boeing 737-800 (flight no. FZ981) operated by Dubai-based budget carrier Flydubai, crashed at early hours at the airport in Rostov at the end of a flight from Dubai.

– The aircraft had to abandon an initial attempt to land and came down while making a repeat attempt.

– Those killed in the crash include 44 Russians, eight Ukrainians, two Indians and one person from Uzbekistan.

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5) General Lori J Robinson, the woman officer of the US Air Force, came to news on 18 March 2016. Why? – She became the woman to lead a military combatant command in the US

Explanation: US President Barack Obama on 18 March 2016 decided to nominate Air Force General Lori J Robinson to lead all military forces in North America. She will thus become the first woman to lead a military combatant command in the history of the US.

– Lori Robinson currently serves as the Commander of US Air Forces Pacific. Her most recent responsibilities as air component commander for US Pacific Command were seen as quite commendable during which she lead more than 45,000 airmen and overseeing operations at an intense operational tempo covering half the globe.

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6) Who won 2016 Australian Grand Prix, the inaugural event of the Formula 1 (F1) season of 2016, on 20 March 2016? – Nico Rosberg (Germany)

Explanation: German driver Nico Rosberg representing Mercedes team edged out his teammate and defending champion Lewis Hamilton (Britain) to win the 2016 Australian Grand Prix on 20 March.

– Rosberg had won the last three races last year as world champion Lewis Hamilton’s season tailed off. He won the inaugural F1 event of the 2016 despite the fact that Hamilton started the race from pole position.

– Rosberg finished eight seconds ahead of Hamilton with Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari completing the podium ahead of local hero Daniel Ricciardo.

– Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) representing Force India collected 6 points as he finished the race at seventh place. Romain Grosjean, who started the race from 27th position was an impressive sixth for new team Haas

1. 21st March : World Forestry Day

i. World Forestry Day or International Day of Forests is celebrated worldwide every year on 21st of March. 

ii. The World Forestry Day was established in the year 1971 at the 23rd General Assembly of European Confederation of Agriculture and later it was established by a resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on November 28, 2012. 

iii. The International Day of Forests was observed for the first time on March 21, 2013.

iv. The World Forestry Day is celebrated at the international level in order to increase the public awareness among communities about the values, significance and contributions of the forests to balance the life cycle on the earth.

v. The theme of the 2016 International Day of Forests is “forests and water”. To mark the Day a joint celebration of the International Day of Forests (21st of March) and World Water Day, which is celebrated on 22nd of March every year will be held on Monday, 21 March 2016 in the Economic and Social Council Chamber.

2. Govt Allows 49% FDI In Insurance Under Automatic Route

i. The government has relaxed FDI norms for the insurance sector by permitting overseas companies to buy 49 percent stake in domestic insurers without prior approval, which is another effort to bring more foreign players into India’s vast insurance market.

ii. Earlier, an overseas company was allowed to buy up to 26% stake in an India-based insurance company. But, for up to 49 percent the investor had to take prior approval from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB). 

iii. However in its latest notification the government said, the foreign investment proposals up to 49% of the total paid up equity of the Indian insurance company shall be allowed on the automatic route subject to verification by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India.

iv. There are 52 insurance companies operating in India, of which 24 are in the life insurance business and 28 in the general insurance. 

v. In order to deepen the re-insurance market, IRDAI permitted UK-based Lloyds to set up business in India. 

3. BHEL Commissions its 2nd 270 MW Thermal Unit In Punjab

i. Within a month of successful commissioning of a 270 MW thermal generating unit in the state, the state run BHEL ( Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited ) has commissioned another 270 MW unit at Goindwal Sahib coal-fired power project in Punjab.

ii. The unit has been commissioned at the GVK Power and Infra Ltd in Tarn Taran District near Amritsar. 

iii. The first unit of the project was earlier commissioned by the company in February, 2016. 

iv. Thermal sets of 270 MW rating are an in-house improvisation of 210/250 MW sets supplied earlier by BHEL which today form the backbone of the Indian power sector and have been performing much above the national average as well as international benchmarks.

v. BHEL has so far contracted 35 sets of 270 MW rating, out of which 13 sets have now been commissioned. Notably, all the operational sets of 210-270 MW class in the state of Punjab have been supplied, erected and commissioned by BHEL. In addition to thermal projects, BHEL has a significant presence in the state’s hydro sector also, with 95% share in the hydro generating capacity of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).

4. Hinduja brothers top Britain’s ‘Asian Rich List’

i. India-born brothers G P Hinduja and S P Hinduja topped the 'Asian Rich List 2016' released here last night and the annual rankings showed that they had added one billion pounds to their personal fortune in a year to be worth an estimated 16.5 billion pounds.

ii. The 'Asian Rich List' assesses the total wealth of Britain's top 101 richest Asians and is compiled by UK-based publishing house Asian Media and Market. 

iii. The Asian Rich List assesses the total wealth of Britain's top 101 richest Asians and is compiled by UK-based publishing house Asian Media and Market.

iv. Steel tycoon Lakshmi Niwas Mittal was ranked second in the list, released by the Indian high commissioner to the UK Navtej Sarna. The fortune of Mittal, however, has plummeted by 3.3 billion pounds to finish with 6.4 billion pounds. Leading NRI industrialist Lord Swraj Paul is listed as 15th richest with fortune worth 500 million pounds.

v. Sri Prakash Lohia, chairman of the Indorama Corporation, is listed 3rd richest with fortune worth 3 billion pounds. The Arora brothers — Simon, Bobby and Robin — owners of discount retail chain are 4th richest with a fortune worth 2.1 billion pounds.

5. UN Appoints Red From "Angry Birds" As Honorary Ambassador For Climate Change

i. The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has appointed Red, the leader of the “Angry Birds” mobile game characters as an envoy to inspire climate action toward a sustainable and happier future for all. 

ii. Red's appointment as Honorary Ambassador for Green is the part of a UN campaign launched in partnership with the globally renowned characters to make a direct link between tackling climate change and people's happiness and well-being on the occasion of the International Day of Happiness to be observed on Sunday, 20 March.

iii. The U.N. chief told that the Angry Birds have entertained millions of people around the world and now they are part of making the world a better place. 

iv. He also said that there was no better way to mark the International Day of Happiness than to have our animated ambassador raise awareness about the importance of addressing climate change to create a safer more sustainable and happier future for all.

v. The campaign was in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment, the U.N. Development Program and U.N. Foundation, asks people around the world to make the Angry Birds happy by taking actions to combat climate change such as recycling, taking public transportation and conserving water.

6. Cairn India Bags Five Awards At 'FICCI Excellence Awards'

i. Cairn India Ltd. has remained in the top deciles of safety performance amongst peer group companies for the FICCI Safety Systems Excellence Award in Manufacturing. 

ii. The awards, which are dedicated for best safety and occupation health systems act as a motivation and a catalyst for adopting best safety practices and systems in the manufacturing sector.

iii. Cairn India considers safe transportation of its people and its products as an integral part of responsible care. 

iv. Cairn India considers safe transportation of its people and its products as an integral part of responsible care. 

v. Continuous efforts to improve road and transport safety are therefore part of the company's overall objective to improve safety performance throughout its business.

7. Cisco to invest $100 millions in India; to train over 250,000 students

i. American multinational technology company Cisco Systems Inc will invest over $100 million over the next 18 to 24 months to support the country's ambitious plan to connect thousands of its villages to the internet and create jobs. 

ii. The series of investments will include $40 million that will be used to fund early-stage and growth-stage companies in the country, and train around 250,000 students by 2020. 

iii. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched a series of initiatives under the 'Digital India', 'Skill India,' and 'Startup India' schemes to connect millions of Indians to the Internet, create more tech jobs and move more services online.

iv. According to Dinesh Malkani, president at Cisco India and SAARC company has expertise in areas such as security, cloud, and the Internet of Things which it can lend to emerging companies. "There is a lot of scope for development in IP driven technology software companies in India," he said.

v. The $143-billion firm has over 10,000 people in India. It is also setting up a manufacturing base in Pune to locally make products to "support the Digital India vision" and aims to eventually make it an 

8. Mumbai's Wilson College adopts railway station for cleanliness

i. One of Mumbai oldest colleges, the Wilson College has adopted the Charni Road station here for cleanliness and upkeep as part of the Swachch Bharat Abhiyan.

ii. Governor and Chancellor of the University CH Vidyasagar Rao congratulated the college for its excellent initiative, which he said will help the cause of cleanliness. 

iii. A group of Wilson College students led by executive co-ordinator Dr Kamal Jadhav met the Governor at Raj Bhavan and briefed him about the decision and the various initiatives taken by the students during the past few months to keep the Charni Road station neat and clean.

iv. Dr Jadhav told the Governor that the college took the decision in response to the appeal made by the Governor to colleges and universities to adopt a railway stations or any other public place nearest to the institution and to take care of its cleanliness and upkeep. 

9. Obama Embarks On Historic Cuba Visit

i. US President Barack Obama embarked on a historic trip to Cuba more than a year after Washington reset its foreign policy towards the island following decades of Cold War animosity that almost led to a nuclear war.

ii. The three-day trip - the first by a US president in 88 years - was unthinkable until Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro agreed in December 2014 to re-establish diplomatic ties. 

iii. The US broke off ties with the communist nation of 11 million when Cuban revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro ousted a pro-American government in 1959.

10. Prince Harry Begins 5-day Trip To Nepal

i. Britain’s Prince Harry reached Kathmandu on a five-day visit to Nepal to mark the 200th anniversary of the bilateral ties.

ii. Prince Harry, who is leading a 30-member delegation, called on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and discussed Nepal-Britain bilateral co-operation. 

iii. During the meeting, he praised the role played by Gorkha soldiers in the British Army and inquired about the conservation efforts made by Nepal in protecting endangered wild animals including tiger and one-horned rhino.

iv. Harry is scheduled to call on Nepal’s first woman President Bidhya Devi Bhandari at the Presidential Office at Sheetal Niwas. 

v. Harry will also visit the British Gorkha Camp in Pokhara.

11. General Lori Robinson Nominated As 1st US Female Combatant Chief

i. The US President Barack Obama has named the General Lori Robinson to head the U.S. combatant command. 

ii. The position is one of the most senior in the US Military and Robinson becomes the first woman to head this position. 

iii. President Barack Obama has approved the choice and now her nomination depends on Senate approval. If approved by the Senate, US Air Force General Lori Robinson will be the new North com chief and will be responsible for any missile threats against the homeland.

iv. Presently she leads US air forces in the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) and Executive Director of Pacific Air Combat Operations Staff since 2014. According to Pentagon PACAF is responsible for Air Force activities spread over half the globe in a command that supports more than 46,000 airmen mainly in Japan, Korea, Hawaii, Alaska and Guam.

v. Robinson had enrolled in the US Air Force in 1982. And Earlier in September 2007 Lori had made history after she became the first Air Battle Manager and first woman 552nd ACW commander to be frocked to brigadier general. Her appointment comes after US Government had announced to open all combat roles in the US military to women in December 2015. The move had opened up about 220,000 positions to women.

12. Lionel Messi Named As Huawei Global Ambassador

i. FC Barcelona’s player Lionel Messi has been named as Huawei global ambassador. 

ii. The partnership with Lionel Messi showcases the brand’s alignment with people and brands that demonstrate and strive towards its shared value of connecting greatness. 

iii. The football player is the company's Global Brand Ambassador because Huawei believed the striker and the company make "a perfect fit" as both "are always pursuing not success but challenges to be better".

iv. Huawei believes that sports are a great way in which people enrich their lives and that is why our commitment towards sports in general is so strong. According to Huawei, "Lionel's history, philosophy and values, the greatest football player in the world are in line with Huawei's mission and values".

v. Huawei is one of the top 3 Smartphone manufactures in the world and their products are available in more than 170 countries. Huawei shipped 108 million smartphones in 2015 and became the third-largest player after Apple and Samsung. The company has set a target of growing its smartphone sales by 300 per cent this year.

13. Wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt Bags Olympics Berth

i. India star wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt secured an Olympic quota place for India with a gold-medal finish in the men's 65kg freestyle category on an otherwise disappointing day for the country's grapplers in the Asian Olympic Qualification tournament in Astana, Kazakhastan.

ii. In the road to the final at the Asian Qualifying tournament, Yogeshwar defeated Ju Song Kim 8-1 and then in the quarter-finals the Indian wrestler defeated Xuan Dinh Nguyen of Vietnam by fall. 

iii. This is the second quota place that Indian wrestlers have bagged for the Rio Olympics to be held later this year. 

iv. Narsingh Pancham Yadav had bagged a quota place in the men's 74kg freestyle division in Las Vegas last year.

14. Indian-origin student wins first Noor Inayat Khan Prize In London

i. An Indian student is the winner of the first Noor Inayat Khan Prize for 2016, the London-based Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust announced.

ii. Geetakshi Arora of SOAS South Asia Institute has won the first Noor Inayat Khan Prize, the Noor Inayat Khan Memorial Trust announced in London on. 

iii. The Trust is awarding the annual prize to the post-graduate student from SOAS, University of London, working in the area of gender studies and South Asian history. 

iv. The prize which consists of 1,000 pounds and a certificate is for a dissertation which is in keeping with the spirit of Noor Inayat Khan, a descendant of Tipu Sultan.

v. Noor-un-Nisa Inayat Khan GC was an Allied Special Operations Executive (SOE) agent during the Second World War who was posthumously awarded the George Cross, the highest civilian decoration in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth nations. 

15. Bangladesh Bowlers Taskin And Sunny Suspended By ICC

i. Bangladesh left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny and pacer Taskin Ahmed have been suspended from bowling in international cricket council with immediate effect after an independent assessment found their bowling actions to be illegal, dealing a massive blow to the team’s campaign in the ongoing World Twenty20.

ii. Both bowlers underwent assessments in Chennai last week, after being reported for suspect actions during the World T20 round-one match against Netherlands in Dharamsala on 9th March. 

iii. They can apply for a re-assessment at any stage after modifying their bowling actions. 

iv. Arafat’s analysis revealed that the elbow extension for majority of his deliveries had exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the ICC Regulations while not all of Taskin’s deliveries were legal. 

v. Now the left-arm spinner Saqlain Sajib will replace Sunny in Bangladesh's World T20 squad and Taskin will be replaced by offspin-bowling all rounder Shuvagata Hom. 

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