India has been ranked 139 out of 149 countries in the list of UN World Happiness Report 2021, which is topped by Finland.
The World Happiness Report 2021, issued by the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, focuses on the effects of COVID-19 and how people all over the world have fared.
It ranks the world's 149 countries on "how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be".
Finland has been ranked as the happiest country in the world. The Nordic nation is followed by Iceland, Denmark, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Sweden, Germany and Norway.
The happiness study ranks the countries of the world on the basis of questions from the Gallup World Poll. The results are then correlated with other factors, including GDP and social security.
Tanzania Swears in First Female President
Samia Suluhu Hassan was sworn in as Tanzania's first female President after her predecessor, John Magufuli, died suddenly.
Hassan, a soft-spoken ruling party stalwart from the island of Zanzibar, will finish Magufuli's second five-year term, set to run until 2025.
She becomes the only other current serving female head of state in Africa alongside Ethiopia's Sahle-Work Zewde, whose role is mainly ceremonial, whereas the president in Tanzania is also head of government.
Hassan was little known outside Tanzania until she appeared on state television on Wednesday night to announce that Magufuli, absent from public view for three weeks, had died from a heart condition.
Bill Nelson Nominated to Lead NASA
President Joe Biden has nominated his longtime colleague, former Senator Bill Nelson (D–FL), to lead NASA, the administration announced today. If confirmed, Nelson will be tasked with leading the country back to the Moon, while also developing an ambitious project to recover the rock samples drilled by the Perseverance rover on Mars.
Nelson has a long history with the agency. He first entered national politics as a representative for the district that is home to Florida's space coast and flew as a civilian on the space shuttle in 1986. As a senator, he was a lead author of the law that created NASA's new Moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), which yesterday saw the first successful test of its engines.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) remained net buyer of the US dollar in January after it bought USD 2.854 billion from the spot market.
In the reporting month, RBI purchased USD 18.225 billion and sold USD 15.371 billion in the spot market, the RBI said in its monthly bulletin for March 2021.
In December 2020, RBI net purchased USD 3.991 billion from the spot market.
In January 2020, RBI was a net buyer of USD 10.266 billion. It had purchased USD 11.486 billion and sold USD 1.22 billion during the month.
CCI Clears Tata Power's Purchase of NESCO Utility
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved acquisition of 51 per cent equity share of North Eastern Electricity Supply Company of Odisha (NESCO Utility) by Tata Power Company Limited (TPCL) from Grid Corporation of Odisha Limited (GRIDCO).
The proposed combination relates to the acquisition of 51 per cent of equity share capital of NESCO Utility by the TPCL from GRIDCO pursuant to the competitive bidding process initiated by the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) under Section 20 of the Electricity Act, 2003.
TPCL, incorporated on September 18, 1919, is a public listed company and is primarily engaged in the business of power generation, transmission and distribution. It is a part of the Tata group.
NESCO Utility, incorporated on November 19, 1997, is engaged in the business of distribution and retail supply of power in five districts of Odisha namely Balasore, Bhadrak,Jajpur, Keonjhar and Baripada.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will establish a 'Space Technology Incubation Centre' (S-TIC) at the National Institute of Technology in Rourkela to carry out research and product development in space technology and applications.
The ISRO and NIT signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for setting up the centre which will enable start-ups to build applications and products that could be used in future space missions.
Space technology-related research and the products from the S-TIC will be utilised in future space missions and will help nation building through Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan' in space technology and applications domain.
Punjab discus thrower Kamalpreet Kaur booked her ticket for the Tokyo Olympics with a new national record on the final day of the Federation Cup National Athletics.
With a throw of 65.06, Kamalpreet became the first woman discus thrower from India to breach the 65 m mark.
Seema Punia finished second with a throw of 62.64 m while Sonal Goyal took the bronze medal with the best effort of 52.11 m. This was Seema's first event after the 2018 Asian Games, where she won a bronze.
Vijender Singh's Unbeaten Run in Professional Boxing Ends
Indian professional boxer Vijender Singh was handed his first defeat in professional boxing by Russian Artysh Lopsan. Vijender lost via technical knockout in the fifth round of an eight-round bout on the rooftop of the Majestic Pride Casino Ship in Goa.
With this loss, Vijender's unbeaten-run in professional boxing came to an end. Before this match, the Olympic bronze medal winner pugilist enjoyed a 12-game winning streak in the professional boxing career since starting his career in 2015.
Nitish Kumar to Inaugurate First-ever Museum Biennale
The first-ever Museum Biennale in India and the world will be inaugurated in a hybrid avatar - physical and digital on March 22 on the occasion of Bihar Divas.
The ceremony will be attended by Nitish Kumar, Anjani Kumar Singh, the Nodal Officer of the Bihar Museum and Advisor to the Chief Minister and Deepak Anand, Director, Bihar Museum.
Bringing together a taste of key collections from various museums across India and the world through virtual tours, the biennale features a series of masterclasses with experts from the creative industries and a two-day international conference with speakers including Neil MacGregor, Hilary Knight, Dr Souraya Noujaim, Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Javier Barón Thaidigsmann among others.
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and US secretary of defence Lloyd James Austin III discussed areas of mutual interest, strategic partnership and cooperation on various aspects of security and defence.
It is the first visit to India by a top official of the Biden administration.
The International Day of Forests was established on the 21st day of March, 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.
In November 1971, the "States members" at the 16th session of the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization, voted to establish "World Forestry Day" on March 21 of each year. From 2007-2012, the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) convened a series of six Forest Days, in conjunction with annual meetings of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties. CIFOR organized these events on behalf of and in close cooperation with other members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF).
Following the International Year of Forests in 2011, the International Day of Forests was established by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on November 28, 2012.
LS Nod to Bill Allowing pvt Sector in Mine Exploration
The Lok Sabha cleared a significant Bill to allow private players in mineral exploration. Only 10 per cent of India's geological mining potential is currently explored with corresponding rates for South Africa and Australia (comparable mineral potential as India's) considerably high.
The sector contributes 1.75 per cent to India's GDP as against 7.5 per cent in South Africa and 7 per cent in Australia. "We will raise this to 2.5 per cent of the GDP," said Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi moving The Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation Amendment Bill 2021 to amend the 1957 law.
Raj Kumar Singh Launches Gram Ujala Scheme
India has launched the "Gram Ujala Scheme" to provide the cheapest LED bulbs in the rural areas. The scheme was launched by the Union Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister, Raj Kumar Singh.
The Gram Ujala Scheme is an ambitious scheme which offers the world's cheapest LED bulbs in rural areas.
This is the first such scheme in India. It provides the LED Bulbs in these areas at a mere Rs. 10. This scheme also furthers its climate change strategy and strengthen the self-reliance credentials.
The scheme does not come with the government's support or subsidy. Under the scheme, the bulbs are offered by the state-run Energy Efficiency Services Ltd's subsidiary Convergence Energy Services Ltd (CESL).
In a small town in southwestern England, a construction crew hired to build a run-of-the-mill bungalow unexpectedly discovered a medieval bishop's palace.
The crew uncovered "substantial" medieval wall foundations, floor deposits and a fireplace in the town of Wiveliscombe, said a spokesperson for the South West Heritage Trust, a charity that works on preservation and management of English heritage sites. The site is being monitored by archaeologists from the South West Heritage Trust.
The ruins are thought to be part of a bishop's palace that dates back to the 13th century, according to the Somerset County Gazette. Multiple bishops of Bath and Wells carried out building works at the site, including Bishop Drokensford (bishop from 1309 to 1329) and Bishop Ralph of Shrewsbury (bishop from 1329 to 1363), according to the spokesperson. But the palace was likely first constructed shortly after 1256, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
Greek Bull Figurine Unearthed
A bronze figurine of a bull believed to be at least 2,500 years old has been unearthed in Greece following heavy rain near the ancient site of Olympia.
Burn marks on the statuette suggest it may have been one of thousands of offerings to the Greek god Zeus.
The discovery of the small, intact item was made by archaeologists near a temple, Greece's culture ministry said.
An archaeologist spotted one of the bull's horns sticking out of the mud after a downpour, it added.
The item was immediately transferred to a laboratory for examination.
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