News in Short

• Former India cricketer and Karnataka captain R. Vinay Kumar announced his retirement from international and First Class cricket.
• Vinay played one Test, 31 ODIs and nine T20Is. The 37-year-old last featured for India in the limited-overs home series against Australia in 2013.
• He scalped 504 wickets in 139 First Class matches, and is the highest wicket-taker among fast bowlers in Ranji Trophy history. He also has 225 and 194 wickets in List-A and T20 matches respectively. With the bat, he scored two centuries and 17 fifties in First Class matches.
• His most significant achievement came during his successful tenure as Karnataka captain, when he led the side to back-to-back treble winning seasons in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
• Vinay also represented Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore in 11 IPL seasons.

• West Indies captain Kieron Pollard achieved a rare record on Thursday (March 4, India time) when he smashed Sri Lanka off-spinner Akila Dananjaya for six consecutive sixes in an over.
• Pollard became only the second man after India's Yuvraj Singh to achieve this record in T20 internationals.
• In the same match, Akila Dananjaya picked up his hat-trick when he dismissed Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran of successive balls.

• Elective Cesarean-section delivery might contribute to excess weight and also possibly reduced linear growth at one year of age in children, according to a new study.
• The study analysed data from the Maternal Antecedents of Adiposity and Studying the Transgenerational role of Hyperglycaemia and Insulin (MAASTHI) prospective birth cohort.
• A total of 638 mother–infant pairs from public hospitals in South Bengaluru were included from.
• The study found that the rate of C-section was 43.4% (26.5% emergency, 16.9% elective) among the 638 mothers.
• While 14.9% of the overall infants were overweight at one year of age, among the 108 babies delivered by elective C-section, 25% became overweight.

• The U.N. General Assembly adopted by consensus a resolution sponsored by India and supported by over 70 nations declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
• The resolution titled ‘International Year of Millets 2023’ was initiated by India with Bangladesh, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Russia and Senegal and was co-sponsored by over 70 nations.
• The 193-member General Assembly unanimously adopted the resolution, declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets.
• They have expressed confidence that the commemoration of the International Year of Millets will help in creating greater awareness of millet production. It will contribute to food security, nutrition, ensuring livelihoods and incomes of farmers.