Current Affairs: February 4-5th, 2018

February 4-5th, 2018

1. World Cancer Day is observed on 4th February every year.

• The World Cancer Day is observed on 4th February every year to raise awareness about cancer, its treatment and to encourage methods of its prevention. The theme for WCD 2016-18 is “We can, I Can”.
• Vice President Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated a medical camp at Swarna Bharat Trust, Atkur in Andhra Pradesh organized on the occasion of World Cancer Day.

2. Four Indian sportspersons in Forbes India 30 Under 30 list.

• Indian cricketers Jasprit Bumrah and Harmanpreet Kaur as well India women’s hockey team goalkeeper Savita Punia and shooter Heena Sidhu are among Forbes India 30 Under 30 list.
• Bumrah finished the year 2017 as the third highest wicket-taker in ODIs with 39 scalps in 23 matches, whereas in T20Is he grabbed 12 wickets in 11 outings.
• In December 2016, Harmanpreet became the first Indian woman cricketer to play in Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL).

3. Bhutan became the second country after Bangladesh to open a consulate in Guwahati (Assam).

• Damcho Dorji (Bhutanese foreign minister) and Sarbananda Sonowal (Assam CM) has opened the consulate general’s office in Guwahati.
• It is the second country in the Indian subcontinent, after Bangladesh.
• Dorji also announced a Bhutan-Guwahati-Singapore flight service would be launched.
• Static Part: Bhutan:-Capital: Thimphu|Currency: Ngultrum|Prime minister: Tshering Tobgay.

4. Maharashtra Government has approved Ghodazari in Chandrapur district as a new wildlife sanctuary in the state.

• The decision was taken at the 13th meeting of the Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
• The sanctuary, in the North East of Tadoba, will include 159 sq km of Brahmapuri forest. This will not only save the forest but will also improve tourism in nearly 40 villages in the area.
• Static Part: Maharashtra:- Chief minister-Devendra Fadnavis|Governor- C V Rao.

5. PV Sindhu finishes runner-up in India Open Super 300 badminton tournament.

• Defending champion P V Sindhu suffered a narrow defeat in a pulsating final against American Beiwen Zhang.
• Playing her second tournament of the new season, Sindhu came agonizingly close to clinching the title before losing to Zhang in the women’s singles final.
• All England Championships finalist and fourth seed Shi Yuqi of China walked away with the men’s crown after beating world no 7 and third-seeded Taiwanese Chou Tien Chen.

6. A New Manchester-India Partnership (MIP) launched in the UK.

• The Partnership aims to connect Indian companies with the northern regions of England has been set up to further trade, investment, science and innovation ties between India and Britain.
• Now Manchester-India Partnership backed by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and will have permanent full-time teams based in Manchester, Delhi, and Bengaluru.
• Now, Indian companies can “make in India but innovate in Manchester” (the second-largest gateway to the UK) for Indian companies.
• Static Part: United Kingdom:- Capital: London|Currency: Pound sterling|Prime minister: Theresa May.

7. Veteran Telugu actor Lakshmi Devi passes away.

• Veteran Telugu actor Lakshmi Devi Kanakala passed away at the age of 78.
• Lakshmi used to be a popular actor in the 1980s.
• She is known for films such as Prema Bandham and Police Lockup.

8. Sri Lanka Celebrates 70th Independence Day in a grand ceremony at the Galle Face Green in Colombo.

• The theme of the ceremony was “One Nation”. It was on this day in 1948 that country achieved freedom from British rule. Representing Britain’s Queen, Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and the Countess of Wessex participated in the celebrations as Chief Guests.
• Static Part: Sri Lanka:- Capitals- Colombo, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte|
  Currency- Sri Lankan rupee|President- Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister- Ranil Wickremesinghe.

9. The First Ever International Kala Mela Inaugurated in New Delhi by the Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu.

• The International Kala Mela has been organized by the Lalit Kala Akademi in partnership with IGNCA of the Ministry of Culture. More than 800 artists from across the world took part in the Festival.
• Static Part: The Minister of State for Culture (I/C) and Environment, Forest & Climate Change: Dr. Mahesh Sharma.

10. Government nominates two directors to RBI central board.

• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said that the Centre has nominated two directors to its central board.
• The central government has nominated Prasanna Kumar Mohanty and Dilip S. Shanghvi as directors to the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India for a period up to February 2021, and March 2021 respectively.
• Static Part: Reserve Bank of India:- Governor-Urjit Patel|4 Deputy Governors- BP Kanungo, S S Mundra, N S Vishwanathan and Viral Acharya.

11. “A Century is Not Enough”: Autobiography of Sourav Ganguly.

• Former Team India captain Sourav Ganguly’s autobiography is soon-to-be-published and it is named “A Century is Not Enough”.
• The book is co-authored by Gautam Bhattacharya and published by Juggernaut Books.
• Ganguly is one of Indian cricket’s most prominent, outspoken, controversial figures and former Indian captain fondly called ‘Dada’.
• The contents of the book shall draw from all the highs Ganguly enjoyed in his career as well as the lows. The preview of the book details the days before and during Ganguly’s farewell series.

12. Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades Wins Re-Election for 2nd Term.

• The official final result after a second-round run-off put the conservative incumbent on 55.99% of the vote, ahead of Communist-backed Stavros Malas on 44%.
• Mr. Nicos Anastasiades has taken credit for steering the economy of Cyprus to recovery after it was plunged into crisis in 2013 by its exposure to debt-wracked Greece and fiscal slippage under a former left-wing administration.
• Static Part: Cyprus:- Capital: Nicosia|Currency: Euro.

13. Maharashtra to become the first state to have Transgender Welfare Board (TWB).

• The long-pending Transgender Welfare Board will finally see the light of the day with the Maharashtra government making a provision of Rs 5 crore for welfare of the community.
• Minister of State for Social Justice Dilip Kamble told that the Board will be set up in a month’s time.It will look after education, employment, housing, and health schemes for transgenders and protect their Constitutional and human rights.

14. India’s biggest floating island released in Neknampur lake, Hyderabad.

• On the occasion of World Wetland Day(2-February), city-based NGO Dhruvansh has introduced a biggest floating island in India at Neknampur Lake, Hyderabad.
• The duo of Dhruvansh NGO, Madhulika and Neeraj Singh started Neknampur restoration programme in June 2016 adopting various cost-effective methodologies to clean the lake.
• After the successful introduction of 10×10 feet floating islands last year, the NGO introduced 2,500 square feet floating island with 3,500 wetland plants floating on this platform.

15. Mukesh Khanna Quits as Chief of Children’s Film Society.

• Actor Mukesh Khanna said he has resigned as the chairperson of the Children’s Film Society two months prior to the end of his term, alleging lack of support to take children’s films to theatres and inadequate funding for the institution.
• His three-year term was scheduled to end in April. The actor is known for his portrayal in popular TV serial Shaktimaan.

16. BJP MP from Kairana in Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Hukum Singh passes away.

• BJP MP Hukum Singh (79) died, almost a month after he was admitted to the J P Hospital in Noida with severe breathing problems.
• He was an MLA in Uttar Pradesh for seven terms and a minister in the state before entering the Lok Sabha in the 2014 polls.

 

17. Japan Launches Smallest Rocket Ever to Carry Tiny Satellite into Orbit.

• The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the world’s smallest rocket with the ability to put a tiny satellite into orbit. The rocket lifted off from the Uchinoura Space Center.
• It carried a microsatellite TRICOM-1R, a three-unit CubeSat weighing about 3 kilograms. This satellite launch was a re-flight of the TRICOM-1 mission, which was lost in SS-520’s failure in 2017.
• Static Part: Japan:- PM- Shinzo Abe|Capital- Tokyo|Currency- Japanese Yen.

18. Thanglura Darlong appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Romania.

• Shri Thanglura Darlong (IFS: 1988) has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to Romania.
• He is expected to take up his assignment shortly. He is presently CLO, South Asian University, New Delhi.
• Static Part: Romania:- Capital: Bucharest|Currency: Romanian Leu.

19. Syed Mahmud Hossain Appointed New Chief Justice of Bangladesh.

• The President of Bangladesh, Abdul Hamid appointed Syed Mahmud Hossain as the new Chief Justice of the country.
• Justice Hossain is the 22nd chief justice of Bangladesh. President administered the oath of office to Justice Hossain.
• Static Part: Bangladesh:- PM- Sheikh Hasina, Capital- Dhaka, Currency- Taka.