Current Affairs – February 4, 2018
World News
New Manchester-India Partnership launched in UK
New Manchester-India Partnership (MIP) aimed at connecting Indian companies with Northern regions of England was launched in London, UK on February 1, 2018. Manchester is referred to as the Northern Powerhouse in Britain. This partnership is aimed at advancing trade, investment, science and innovation ties between India and Britain. MIP was launched by Jim O’Neill, the economist who coined the phrase BRICS. It is a public-private initiative between India and Manchester and is supported by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). In order to carry out work related with the partnership, teams comprising permanent full time members will be stationed in Manchester, Delhi and Bengaluru. Several Indian companies including Tata, HCL Technologies, Tech Mahindra, ICICI, Union Bank, Air India and Hero Cycles represented India at a walkthrough exhibition held during the launch of MIP.
85 people jailed in China for selling fake cure for baldness
As many as 85 people have been jailed in China for selling a fake cure for baldness, according to reports. The scammers sold snake oil to people losing hair or with other symptoms associated with weak kidneys claiming the medication would help strengthen their renal function. Nearly 9,000 people were duped as part of the over ₹10-crore scam.
Smart jewellery alerts friends, police during an emergency
US-based developer invisaWear has developed smart jewellery which alerts friends and police in case of an emergency just by double-pressing the accessory. Priced at $129, the device shares user location which is fed into its companion app. Its battery life is designed to last one year and also features Bluetooth connectivity up to 30 feet away from the user’s smartphone.
Sri Lanka celebrated its 70th Independence Day today
Sri Lanka celebrated its 70th Independence Day today (4 February 2018). It was on this day in 1948 that Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, gained independence from 133 years of British colonial rule. The year of 2018 will be a crucial year for Sri Lanka in achieving economic freedom, and the government must ensure the country to achieve its long term goals.
National News
Country’s first def industrial corridor to link Chennai with Bengaluru
According to Union Budget 2018-19, the government will develop two defence industrial production corridors. Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the first corridor will link Chennai and Bengaluru and will pass through Coimbatore and several other industrial clusters.
Oil tanker with 22 Indians goes missing near West Africa
An oil tanker with 22 Indian sailors on board is reported missing off the coast of Benin, a West African country for last three days. It is suspected that the MT Marine Express carrying 13,500 tonne of gasoline may have been hijacked by pirates. In January, another vessel MT Barret had gone missing off the coast of Benin and six days later crew, most of them Indians, were released after reportedly paying ransom.
Railways Ministry may introduce dynamic pricing system
The Railways Ministry the current flex-fare system and is considering introducing a dynamic pricing system for train tickets, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has said. Under dynamic pricing system, fares will be decided as per the season and demand. The Fares will be automatically adjusted via artificial intelligence, algorithms or technology, to help trains have more occupancy.
Vice President Naidu Inaugurates First International Kala Mela in New Delhi
Vice President of India, M. Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the First International Kala Mela (Art Festival) at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi. This festival has been organised by Lalit Kala Akademi, India’s premier institution for the promotion of Art and Culture. During the course of this festival (4th – 18th February, 2018), around 800 artists will showcase their art works. Main objective of this festival is to facilitate direct interaction between artists and the experts of the art forms and also to raise awareness about the art. National and International experts will conduct various art workshops and activities including Visual Art Film Festival, Best from waste workshop, Musical performances, Violin making workshop, live performance and Dance Dramas during the festival. Many Embassies and International Cultural Centres are also participating in this festival.
State News
Fifth International Biennial Conference of Indian Heritage Network opened up to signify cultural heritage in Odisha
Fifth International Biennial Conference of Indian Heritage Network opened up to signify cultural heritage in Odisha Fifth International Biennial Conference of Indian Heritage Network (IHCN) was opened up in Odisha signifying socio-cultural heritage surrounding art and craft of India which will go on for three days. International Biennial Conference of Indian Heritage Network was inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Addressing the inaugural session CM Patnaik said that “along with the development of modern amenities and facilities, our cities should also be vibrant with the socio-cultural life, centered on heritage, art and craft. The outcome of the dialogue series is to arrive at policy-level recommendations to address the issues relevant to Odisha and also to raise awareness and be a platform for advocacy.
Kala Ghoda Arts Festival returns in 2018 with the theme “Hara Ghoda”
Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is an annual multicultural festival held in the Kala Ghoda area of South Mumbai. Kala Ghoda Arts festival 2018, which is the 20th edition of this festival, began on February 3, 2018. This year’s theme is ‘Hara Ghoda’ (Green Horse) focusing on sustainability and environment-friendliness. Art enthusiasts can witness an amalgamation of contemporary art illustrations, dance, theatre, music, literature and food during the course of this 9-day art festival. This festival is organised by Kala Ghoda Association, which was formed in 1998 with an objective of maintaining and preserving the heritage and art district of South Mumbai.
Maharashtra becomes first state to set up welfare board for transgenders
The Maharashtra government has decided to set up a Transgender Welfare Board to protect their Constitutional and human rights. This will make Maharashtra the first Indian state to have such a board. An amount of ₹5 crore has also been set aside to provide education, housing, and employment for the transgender community.
Maharashtra govt approves new wildlife sanctuary at Ghodazari
Maharashtra State Government has approved Ghodazari in Chandrapur district as a new wildlife sanctuary in the state. This decision was taken at the 13th meeting of the Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife, held on January 31, 2018. The meeting was chaired by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The new wildlife sanctuary will include 159 sq km of Brahmapuri forest. This decision will not only help in conserving the forest but will also benefit nearly 40 villages in the region on account of consequential increase of tourism related activities.
Banking & Economy
CBEC to be renamed CBIC by April
The change of name of apex indirect tax policy making body Central Board of Excise & Customs (CBEC) to Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) is likely to happen by April after the budgetary exercise gets Parliament nod. In his budget speech for 2018-19, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said with the roll out of GST the name of CBEC would be changed to CBIC.
IOC to invest Rs 3,400 crore in Assam to augment operations
Indian Oil Corporation will invest Rs 3,400 crore in Assam over the next five years to expand its operations by setting up new units as well as upgrading the existing ones. The company will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Assam Government to this effect at the two-day ‘Advantage Assam – Global Investors Summit 2018’, beginning in Guwahati.
They are signing an MoU with the state government that will empower us to invest Rs 3,400 crore in Assam over the next five years. This will be for various projects across the state,” Indian Oil Corporation, Executive Director (IndianOil-AOD), Dipankar Ray.
Sports
Shubhankar Sharma clinches Maybank Championship
Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma won the Maybank Championship, at the Saujana Golf and Country Club, in Malaysia. Shubhankar Sharma holed 10 birdies and finished 10-under-par 62 in the finals. He won the Maybank Championship. He was awarded USD 500,000. Jorge Campillo finished in the second position. Pablo Larrazabal and Ryan Fox finished in the third position.
Sindhu loses to Beiwen Zhang in India Open final
Star Indian shuttler P. V. Sindhu fell to fifth seeded Beiwen Zhang from the US in the women’s singles final of the $350,000 India Open BWF World Tour Super 500 held in New Delhi. The defending champion and top seed lost 18-21, 21-11, 20-22 in an hour and nine minutes to give Beiwen her "career's best moment" at the Siri Fort Sports Complex here. With the win, Beiwen levelled 2-2 in the head-to-head records against the Olympic 2016 silver medallist Sindhu. Beiwen bagged the winner's cheque of $26,250, while Sindhu got $13,300.
Awards & Honours
Malaysian chef wins International Young Chef Olympiad 2018
The 4th edition of International Young Chef Olympiad (YCO) concluded in New Delhi with Lai Jia Yi from Malaysia winning the top spot and Indian student chef Surya Sekhar Roy Choudhury claiming the second position.
Touted as the “World’s biggest culinary battle of student chefs”, the competition was judged by eminent celebrity chefs and Michelin-starred winners including Sanjeev Kapoor, Ranveer Brar, John Wood, Chris Galvin, Scott Baechler, and Enzo Oliveri.
Appointments & Resignations
Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain appointed new chief justice of Bangladesh
Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain has been appointed as Chief Justice of Bangladesh. Bangladesh President Md Abdul Hamid administered Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain’s oath as the 22nd chief justice of the Supreme Court in Dhaka. The previous Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha resigned in November 2017. Justice Md Abdul Wahhab Miah was appointed as the acting chief justice. Syed Mahmud Hossain was born on 31 December 1954. He started practicing as a lawyer in 1981.
Obituaries
BJP MP from Kairana Hukum Singh passes away
Hukum Singh, a BJP MP from Kairana in Uttar Pradesh, died at JP Hospital, in Noida at the age of 79. He was suffering from breathing difficulties. He is survived by five daughters. Hukum Singh started his law practice in 1969. He entered politics around 1974. His followers fondly called him ‘Babu Sahab’. He was member of the Uttar Pradesh state assembly for 7 times.
Important Days
World Cancer Day
World Cancer Day is being observed on 4th February every year to raise awareness about cancer, its treatment and to encourage methods of its prevention. The primary goal of the day is to reduce the illness and related deaths by 2020. For 2016 to 2018, the theme for observing World Cancer Day is ‘We Can. I can.’
Under this theme, people are expected to, individually and collectively, understand and work towards lessening the impact and harmful effects of the condition globally.