27th February
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY
- 2010 A massive earthquake strikes Chile
- 1932 The neutron is discovered
- 1933 Germany's parliament building is set on fire
NATIONAL
- Union Cabinet okays Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill. A parliamentary panel had recommended that not only close relatives but any woman who is "willing" should be allowed to act as a surrogate.
- Union HRD Minister launches UKIERI-UGC leadership programme for university administrators. The ‘Higher Education Leadership Development Programme for Administrator’ is a joint initiative of UGC and British Council under the auspices of UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI),which aims to deliver a leadership development programme for middle and senior level administrative functionaries in Indian Universities.
- Cabinet approves National Technical Textiles Mission. The ?1,480-crore Mission, to be implemented from 2020-2021 to 2023-2024, aims at positioning India as a global leader in technical textiles
INTERNATIONAL
- Hong Kong to give HK$10,000 cash handouts to 7 mn residents. Hong Kong's government said it will give a HK$10,000 ($1,280) handout to 7 million permanent residents in a bid to jump-start a recession-hit economy now compounded by the coronavirus outbreak.
ECONOMY
- Investors can purchase MFs on bourses. Investors can now directly purchase or redeem mutual fund (MF) units using the stock exchange platform, a facility that was hitherto only available to distributors or investment advisers.
SPORTS
- Maria Sharapova announces retirement. Five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova, one of the world's most recognisable sportswomen, announced her retirement at the age of 32.
------------------------------------------