Vietnam is allowing locals to gamble in casinos for the first time in a three-year pilot plan starting March aimed at increasing tax revenues.
Earlier only foreigners could gamble in Vietnam, while Vietnamese went abroad to gamble, spending approximately $800 million (over ₹5,340 crore) on gambling annually.
China is going to build its first national underwater observatory in the disputed South China Sea.
Such a platform will reportedly allow the country to keep a check on underwater physical, chemical, and geological dynamics in real time.
Note : South China Sea has been a disputed territory with China claiming almost all of the waters.
India
The 29th International Yoga Festival was inaugurated by Uttarakhand Governor KK Paul today in Rishikesh.
The week-long event, jointly organised by the AYUSH ministry and Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board, will feature classes on meditation, reiki and Indian philosophy during the festival.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the festival via video conference.
The Assam government has decided to make Sanskrit compulsory up to Class 8 in all schools across the state.
The government also decided to appoint a computer teacher in all high schools in Assam.
The Kerala government has announced that the state is going through its worst drought in a century, resulting in an estimated loss ₹225 crore.
Calling it a "grave situation", Kerala Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan informed the Assembly that only 44% water remained in the state's reservoirs.
This has resulted in the damage of 30,353 hectares of agricultural land, he added.
The Delhi Government has extended the mid-day meal scheme for girls up to class 12, reportedly making it the first state in the country to do so, the city-state government claimed.
The scheme will be applicable from April.
Note : The government will set aside ₹50 crore for extending the scheme, which currently covers all students till class 8.
New Appointments
Pakistan’s Amjad Hussain B Sial has assumed the charge as the Secretary-General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) today.
He has replaced Arjun Bahadur Thapa, whose term was ended yesterday.
Banking & Economy
HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank have started charging a minimum of ₹150 per transaction for cash deposits and withdrawals beyond four free transactions in a month.
The banks will charge ₹5 per thousand rupees or ₹150, whichever is higher, after the free transactions.
The government has notified a law that makes the possession of more than 10 scrapped notes by individuals a criminal offence.
Having over 25 pieces of old notes for research purposes will also be considered a criminal offence.
The law prohibits the holding, transferring or receiving of ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes from December 31, 2016, and imposes fines on offenders.
Any bank branch that refuses to exchange soiled or scribbled currency notes from people will have to pay a penalty of ₹10,000, the RBI has clarified today.
However, a bank may levy a service charge if a person exchanges more than 20 notes, or notes worth ₹5,000 per day.
The RBI also clarified that such notes continue to be legal tender.
The Andhra Pradesh government is planning to launch an airline, named after the state's capital Amaravathi.
The initiative is aimed at bringing global exposure to the upcoming city and boost the state's aviation sector.
Books & Authors
Publishing company Penguin Random House has signed a deal to publish two forthcoming books by former US President Barack Obama and the former first lady Michelle Obama, who plan to write about their time in the White House.
The deal followed an auction for global rights to the two books with bidding that reportedly reached over $60 million (₹400 crore).
Awards & Honors
Jawaharlal Nehru University has won the annual Visitor's Award for the 'Best University', 2017.
Dr. Deepak Pant from Central University of Himachal Pradesh won the Visitor's Award for 'Innovation' while the Visitor's Award for 'Research' has been jointly won by Dr. Shyam Sunder from Banaras Hindu University and Prof. Niranjan Karak from Tezpur University.
The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee will present these awards for the year 2017 at a function to be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan on March 6, 2017, as part of the 'Festival of Innovations'.
Virat Kohli has been named India's best international cricketer of the year by the BCCI, making him the first player to win the top honour three times.
He will be presented the award, which is named after veteran cricketer Polly Umrigar, at the annual award ceremony on March 8.
Sports Current Affairs
Indian grandmaster Harika Dronavalli has won a Bronze medal at the 2017 Women's World Chess Championship in Tehran.
The Anthem for the 2017 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was released today.
The anthem, titled '10 Saal Aapke Naam', has been composed by Bollywood music composer Salim Merchant.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic venues are set to have Gender-neutral public restrooms.
At least one universal-use toilet has been planned for seven of the 11 venues the metropolitan government is building from scratch.
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