12th April 2015

>>Ace Indian shooter JituRai won bronze medal in the 10m air pistol event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup which was held in Changwon, South Korea.

• He scored 181.1 points in the final to won the bronze. Jin Jongoh of South Korea won gold medal while Naung Ye Tun of Myanmar won silver medal. 

>>Yuki Bhambri won 15,000 US Dollar ITF Futures tournament title after defeating DzmitryZhyrmont of Belarus in the finals. Final match was held at Karshi, Uzbekistan.

• This win also has ensured Yuki's entry into the French Open qualifying event which will be the Clay Court Grand Slam that will begin on the 19th May 2015.

>>SaniaMirza created history by becoming the first Indian female tennis player to achieve the world number one rank in doubles category.

• She achieved this feat after winning WTA Family Circle Cup along with her Swedish partner Martina Hingis.

>>India won the bronze i.e. finished third by defeating South Korea by 4-1 goals in the penalty shoot-out after both the teams were tied at 2-2 at regulation time.

• New Zealand has won the 24th edition of Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament 2015 for second time.
• In the final match, New Zealand defeated World Champions Australia by 3-1 goals in the penalty shoot-out. In regulation 60 minutes time, both teams had tied at 2-2 goals.

>>Lieutenant General Hanut Singh (retd) on 12 April 2015 passed away in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. He was 82. He was a 1971 Indo-Pak war hero and one of the most famous officers of the Indian Army.


>>SBI announced a cut in homw loan rate by up to 0.25%

  The rate cut will be effective from tomorrow.

• Note:The cut in interest rate on home loans is higher than the reduction of 0.15% in base rate that came into force on April 10.

>>The Union Home Ministry has notified a new set of rules to “regulate” official visits of Governors outside their States, mandating prior permission from the President and putting a cap of 73 days in a year as duration of such visits.

• Amending the Governors (Allowances and Privileges) Rules, the MHA on February 10, 2015 issued a notification stating that all out-station visits of Governors will require prior approval of the President
• “In case of emergent or extraordinary circumstances, the intimation shall contain details of the circumstances and the compelling reasons why it was not possible to obtain prior permission....,” it says, adding that the duration of such visits cannot exceed 20 per cent of the days in a calendar year [73 days].

>> Presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro shook hands at the Summit of the Americas in Panama, marking the first meeting between a U.S. and Cuban head of state since the two countries severed their ties in 1961.

• The meeting came four months after the presidents announced their countries would restore ties. Successive U.S. administrations have maintained a policy of economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation.