ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

• 2000 Vladimir Putin is elected President of Russia

• 1995 The Schengen Agreement enters into force

• 1979 The Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty is signed

NATIONAL NEWS

• British national given HIV antiretroviral drugs to treat COVID-19 now tests negative. The patient, who had earlier tested positive for COVID-19, responded well to the drugs combination of Ritonavir and Lopinavir, and his latest test results showed he has recovered, doctors at the Ernakulam Medical College Hospital, Kerala said.

• Cabinet nod for supply of extra subsidised foodgrains via ration shops. To ensure sufficient supply during the lockdown, the government has decided to increase the monthly quota of subsidized foodgrains by 2 kg to 7kg per person through ration shops for 80 crores beneficiaries.

• Panchayat Raj Bill passed. The Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2020, was passed in the Legislative Assembly, which aims to reduce the tenure of presidents and vice-presidents of gram, taluk, and Zilla panchayats from five years to 30 months.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• Spain’s COVID-19 toll surpasses that of China. Spain's death toll overtook that of China, rising to 3,434 after 738 people died over the past 24 hours. COVID-19 epidemic has now infected 47,610 people, the health ministry said.

• U.S. Senate, White House agree on $2 trillion Coronavirus rescue plan. The leaders of both parties announced an agreement on unprecedented emergency legislation to rush sweeping aid to businesses, workers and a health care system slammed by the pandemic and would give direct payments to most Americans and expand unemployment benefits.

• Pakistan bans domestic passenger flights due to COVID-19. Pakistan has banned all domestic passenger flights to stop the spread of the COVID-19 after reporting nearly 1,000 cases in the country, just as Libya became the latest at-risk Mideast nation to report its first infection.

ECONOMY NEWS

• CCEA approves recapitalisation of RRBs. The government has approved capital infusion to the tune of Rs 1,340 crore for Regional Rural Banks (RRBs). The Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javdekar said that the recapitalization of RRBs will improve their Capital to Risk-Weighted Assets Ratio.