1: Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad resigns

• He will act as an interim PM
• It is not clear who will be the next prime minister. He has submitted his resignation to the king. He has also resigned from Bersatu, the political party of which he was chairman

2: US becomes India’s top trading partner, surpassing China

• The United States has surpassed China to become India’s top trading partner
• According to the Commerce Ministry data, the bilateral trade between the US and India stood at nearly 88 billion dollars in 2018-19 fiscal. During the period, India’s trade with China was at 87.1 billion dollars
• During April-December 2019-20, the bilateral trade between the US and India stood at 68 billion dollars against a nearly 65 billion dollars trade with China in the same period

1: Indian Railway has launched AI-based ASKDISHA chatbot

• The Indian Railways has launched the Hindi Version of Artificial Intelligence-based chatbot called “ASKDISHA”.
• The Hindi version has been launched to further enhance the customer services rendered and to further strengthen the services of the chatbot
• The Indian Railways is also planning to launch the chatbot in more languages in the near future

2: 1st anniversary of National War Memorial being observed

• The first anniversary of the iconic National War Memorial is being observed on 25th February
• The memorial is a fitting tribute to those heroes who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty during various wars and internal security challenges since Independence.
• The monument was dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 25th February last year

3: New Delhi hosts Joint Ministerial Commission between India and Australia

• The Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) between India and Australia was held in New Delhi. This was the 16th edition of the session
• Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry, Government of India and honorable Senator Simon Birmingham, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Government of Australia co-chaired the joint ministerial commission held between two countries

5: Harsimrat Kaur Badal launches MIEWS Portal for Monitoring prices of TOP Crops

• Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal has launched the Market Intelligence and Early Warning System (MIEWS) Web Portal
• The portal can be accessed at http://miews.nafed-india.com. The MIEWS Dashboard and Portal is a ‘first-of-its-kind’ platform for ‘real-time monitoring’ of prices of tomato, onion and potato (TOP) and for simultaneously generating alerts for intervention under the terms of the Operation Greens(OG) scheme

6: Higher Education Leadership Development Programme launched in New Delhi

• A Higher Education Leadership Development Programme for Administrator has been launched by the Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Ramesh Pokhriyal
• This programme is a joint initiative of UGC and the British Council under the aegis of UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI)

7: Rajesh Kumar becomes new MD & CEO of CIBIL

• TransUnion Cibil, the largest credit information bureau appointed Rajesh Kumar of HDFC Bank as its new managing director and chief executive
•  He will succeed Satish Pillai

1: Gandhinagar hosts cultural fair “Vasantotsav” at Sanskruti Kunj

• The department of Youth and Cultural Affairs, Government of Gujarat has organized cultural festival called “Vasantotsav”
• The annual festival was held at Sanskruti Kunj in Gandhinagar, Gujarat to celebrate the rich diverse heritage of the country
• The cultural festival “Vasantotsav” was held with the theme of “Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat”

2: Govt of Andhra Pradesh launched ‘Jagananna Vasthi Deevena’ scheme for students

• Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has launched a scheme named ‘Jagananna Vasthi Deevena’
• This scheme is for students pursuing various post-Intermediate courses to meet hostel and mess expenses

3: MP becomes 1st state to launch unified vehicle registration card

• Madhya Pradesh has become the 1st state in the country to introduce the unified registration card and the 2nd state to launch the unified driving license after Uttar Pradesh

1: NPCI launches UPI awareness campaign “UPI Chalega”

• National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has launched an industry campaign named “UPI Chalega” to promote UPI as Easy, Safe, and Instant mode of payment.
• The “UPI Chalega” campaign is aimed to guide users towards the right usage of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and help create a habitual change, use of UPI in their daily life.
• NPCI has launched the campaign in association with the payment ecosystem players.

2: RBI allows Bandhan Bank to open new branches without prior permission

• He Reserve bank of India removes the restrictions placed on Bandhan Bank, allowing it to open new branches without prior permission
• The RBI came up with some regulatory conditions & directed the bank to order about 25% of the total banking outlets to be opened in rural areas where banking facilities are not available

3: “EASE 3.0” launched for tech-enabled banking for aspiring India

• “Enhanced Access and Service Excellence (EASE) 3.0” has been launched by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman along with the EASE 2.0 Annual Report at Indian Banks’ Association function
• This has been launched for smart, tech-enabled banking for aspiring India

1: Microsoft & SBI join hands to train differently-abled

• Microsoft announced a partnership with State Bank of India to train differently-abled people to find jobs in the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector

2: India & US sign defence deals worth $3 billion

• India and the United States finalized defence deals worth 3 billion dollars
• India has agreed to purchase USD 3 billion worth advanced American military equipment including Apache and MH-60 Romeo helicopters, which are the finest in the world

1: Sunil Gurbaxani appointed as new MD and CEO of Dhanlaxmi Bank

• The appointment of Sunil Gurbaxani as managing director and CEO of Dhanlaxmi Bank has been approved by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)
• The appointment has been made for a period of three years. Gurbaxani is presently working with Axis Bank

2: Rajlaxmi Singh Deo has been elected as president of Rowing Federation of India

• Rajlaxmi Singh Deo has been re-elected as the president of the Rowing Federation of India (RFI)
• The presidential elections of the Rowing Federation of India were conducted under the observation of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA)’s K Govindraj. He will remain at the post for four years till 2024

3: USIBC appoints Vijay Advani as new Chairman of Global Board

• Vijay Advani has been appointed by the US-India Business Council (USIBC) as the new chairman of its Global Board of Directors
• The council also announced two new members of the Global Board of Directors Lockheed Martin International Senior Vice President Tim Cahill and GE South Asia President & CEO Mahesh Palashikar

4: Abhay Kumar Singh becomes new CMD of NHPC

• Hydropower giant National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) announced the appointment of Abhay Kumar Singh as the company’s Chairman & Managing Director
• He will replace Ratish Kumar

5: Mastercard CEO Ajay Banga to step down

• Mastercard Chief Executive Officer Ajay Banga will step down at the start of the next year and will be replaced by Chief Product Officer Michael Miebach

6: Jawed Ashraf becomes India’s next Ambassador to France

• Jawed Ashraf has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to France. He is presently High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Singapore
• He will succeed Vinay Mohan Kwatra. Vinay Mohan Kwatra will become the next Ambassador of India to Nepal, he will succeed Manjeev Singh Puri

1: ISRO to launch Geo Imaging Satellite “GISAT-1”

• The Indian Space Research Organisation will launch the Geo Imaging Satellite “GISAT-1”. GISAT-1 will be launched by Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-F10) from the Second Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota
• The launch of GISAT-1 has been tentatively scheduled at 17:43 Hrs IST on March 05, 2020.

1: Birla Estates has introduced “LIDEA” on WhatsApp for its customers

• LIDEA will enable the users to access authentic information of the projects which can be used for the evaluation of the residential developments of Birla Estates
• The artificial intelligence empowered Chatbot will also offer features like viewing location, configurations, amenities, virtual tours and accepting site visit requests

2: SEBI allows the use of regulatory sandbox by market players

• Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has allowed the use of regulatory sandbox by the market players on select customers. SEBI will also grant limited registration for such testing purposes
• The decision is expected to facilitate the use of latest fintech innovations in capital markets. The decision was taken at the board meeting of the market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India

3: ADB raises $118 million from rupee-linked bonds

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has raised Rs 850 crore (USD 118 million) from a new issue of offshore Indian rupee-linked 10-year bonds
• This represents ADB’s first new maturity raised in Indian rupees since 2017 and contributes to an established yield curve which stretches from 2021 through 2030 with Rs 7,240 crore (USD 1 billion) of outstanding bonds. ADB’s India rupee bonds have been a “game-changer” for local currency operations

1: Dr Niti Kumar to be honored with SERB Women Excellence Award-2020

• Her research team is testing the protein quality control machinery in human malaria parasite for exploration of alternative drug targets for malaria intervention
• The SERB Women Excellence Award-2020 will be conferred by the President of India during the celebrations of National Science Day

2: Manoj Kumar honored by World Book of Records, London

• Veteran actor Manoj Kumar has been honored by the World Book of Records, London with the WBR Golden Era of Bollywood
• He has been honored for being a legendary actor and for his contribution to Indian cinema

1: North East SDG Conclave 2020 to be held in Assam

• NITI Aayog will organize Sustainable Development Goals Conclave 2020: Partnerships, Cooperation and Development of North Eastern states in Guwahati, Assam
• The event will feature the participation of the North-Eastern states, Central Ministries, academia, civil society and international development organizations

2: New Delhi hosts the International Judicial Conference

• The conference was held with the theme of “Gender Just World”. The topic of the one-day conference is “Judiciary and The Changing World”
• The changes made by GoI to bring gender equality including recruitment of women in military service, changes in the selection process of fighter pilots, and the freedom to work at night in the mines were discussed during the conference

3: SCO’s Defence Experts Working Group meeting was held in Pakistan

• The 9th Defence and Security Expert Working Group (EWG) meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was held in Islamabad, Pakistan
• The meeting was the part of the ˜Shanghai Cooperation Organization Defense & Security Cooperation Plan 2020′. China, Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and India including Pakistan participated in the event

4: BIMSTEC to connect 3000 km long power grid from Myanmar-Thailand to India

• Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is working on a project of connecting about 3,000 kilometer-long power grid from Myanmar-Thailand to India

5: Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience 2020

• The National Conference on Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience (CDRR&R) 2020 was held in New Delhi. The national conference was organized by the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM)

6: RAISE 2020 Summit to be held in New Delhi

• The Government of India (GoI) announced the mega event, RAISE 2020- ‘Responsible AI for Social Empowerment 2020,’ to be held from April 11-12 in New Delhi.
• RAISE 2020 is India’s first Artificial Intelligence summit to be organized by the Government in partnership with Industry & Academia

India-UK joint Air Force Exercise Indra Dhanush Exercise 2020 began

• The 5th edition of the Exercise Indra Dhanush 2020 commenced on 24th February
• It is a joint air force exercise between Indian Air Force (IAF) and British Royal Air Forces (RAF) has commenced at Air Force Station Hindan in Uttar Pradesh (UP)

1: D Gukesh wins 34th Cannes Open in France

• Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh defeated Harutyun Bargseghyan of France to win the 34th Cannes Open in France
• Siva Mahadevan of India secured the 10th place with six points

2: 1st Khelo India University Games launched by PM Narendra Modi

• 1st edition of the Khelo India University Games was launched at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium at Cuttack, Odisha by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through video conferencing
• The tournament will feature the participation of about 3,400 athletes from 159 universities across the country across 17 disciplines

3: India will host Commonwealth Shooting and Archery Championships 2022

• India will host the Commonwealth Shooting and Archery Championships in January 2022
• The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) announced this decision after the Executive Board meeting in London.  The two events will be held in Chandigarh in January 2022, while the Birmingham Commonwealth Games is scheduled from 27th of July to 7th of August, 2022

4: Maria Sharapova announces retirement from tennis

• Five-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova has announced her retirement from tennis
• The Russian won her first Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 2004 aged 17 and completed the career slam, all four major titles, by winning the French Open in 2012.

1: Former Indian footballer Ashok Chatterjee passes away

• Former Indian footballer Ashok Chatterjee passed away. He made his international debut when he came on as a second-half substitute for PK Banerjee against Japan in the Merdeka Cup in 1965.
• He made 30 appearances for the senior national team. He was also honoured with the Mohun Bagan Lifetime Achievement Award by the club in 2019.

2: Former Lok Sabha MP Krishna Bose passes away

• Former Lok Sabha MP Krishna Bose passed away. She was the wife of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s nephew Sisir Kumar Bose.
• She joined politics in the mid-1990s. She was close to Trinamool Congress chairperson and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

3: Famous NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson passes away

• Famous NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) mathematician Katherine Johnson passed away at the age of 101.
• Johnson’s calculations helped put the first man on the Moon in 1969, but she was little known until the Oscar-nominated 2016 movie that told the stories of three black women who worked at NASA.

4: Egypt former President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak passes away

• Egypt’s former President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak passed away. He ruled the country for 30 years.
• After almost three decades in power, Mubarak was forced to resign on February 11, 2011, following 18 days of protests around the country.

1: Former Indian footballer Ashok Chatterjee passes away

• Former Indian footballer Ashok Chatterjee passed away. He made his international debut when he came on as a second-half substitute for PK Banerjee against Japan in the Merdeka Cup in 1965
• He made 30 appearances for the senior national team. He was also honoured with the Mohun Bagan Lifetime Achievement Award by the club in 2019

2: Former Lok Sabha MP Krishna Bose passes away

• Former Lok Sabha MP Krishna Bose passed away. She was the wife of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s nephew Sisir Kumar Bose
• She joined politics in the mid-1990s. She was close to Trinamool Congress chairperson and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee

3: Famous NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson passes away

• Famous NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) mathematician Katherine Johnson passed away at the age of 101
• Johnson’s calculations helped put the first man on the Moon in 1969, but she was little known until the Oscar-nominated 2016 movie that told the stories of three black women who worked at NASA

4: Egypt former President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak passes away

• Egypt’s former President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak passed away. He ruled the country for 30 years
• After almost three decades in power, Mubarak was forced to resign on February 11, 2011, following 18 days of protests around the country

1: Central Excise Day celebrated on 24th February across India

• Central Excise Day is celebrated every year on February 24 across India
• The day is being celebrated to honour the service of Central Board of Excise and Custom (CBEC) to the country

2: World NGO Day observed globally on 27 February

• World NGO Day is observed globally on 27 February. The day aims to raise awareness about the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) sector
• The day is observed every year to encourage people worldwide who are involved and dedicatedly working for a good cause. The day highlights the achievements and success of NGOs from all the sectors across the globe. The day makes people understand the role of NGOs in society

India ranked 3rd in Hurun Global Rich List 2020

• Hurun Report has released the Hurun Global Rich List 2020. The Hurun Global Rich List 2020 is a ranking of the US-Dollar billionaires in the world
• The 9th edition of the Hurun Global Rich list ranked 2,816 billionaires from 71 countries and from 2,182 companies. India’s Mukesh Ambani from Reliance Industries is in the 9^th position.