Current Affairs Daily Digest – February 25 2020
1. US President Donald Trump visited Taj Mahal
US President Donald Trump visited the Taj Mahal with his wife Melania Trump during his two-day state visit to India. The last US president who visited the Taj Mahal was Bill Clinton. He visited India in 2000. Also, in 1959, then US president David Dwight Eisenhower had visited Taj.
2. Adline Castelino was crowned 2020 LIVA Miss Diva Universe
Adline Castelino won the LIVA Miss Diva Universe 2020 title. She was crowned by Vartika Singh, Miss Diva Universe 2019, at an event held on Mumbai. The event was held on 22 February. Castelino was followed by Aavriti Choudhary of Jabalpur. Choudhary was bestowed with the title of Miss Diva Supranational by her predecessor Shefali Sood.
The jury included 2000 Miss Universe and Mentor Lara Dutta, Miss Supranational 2019 Anntonia Porsild, Designers Shivan & Narresh, Nikhil Mehra and Gavin Miguel, Yami Gautam and veteran actor Anil Kapoor.
3. CDS to celebrate first anniversary of National War Memorial
The first anniversary of the iconic National War Memorial (NWM) will be observed on 25 February. Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the monument to the nation on 25 February 2019. The memorial is a tribute to the fallen heroes in the line of duty during various wars and internal security challenges since Independence.
4. GoI launches “SPICe+” to improve Ease of Doing Business in the country
Government of India launched SPICe+, a web form that integrates 10 services of various ministries and departments. This will help boost Ease of Doing Business in India. It was launched by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. India ranked 63rd in Ease of Doing Business ranking published by World Bank.
5. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad resigns
The Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad resigned over political issues. The 94-year old Mahathir tried to form a coalition. This move would exclude his successor Anwar Ibrahim. This led to a tussle in the party and eventually the leader resigned. However, he will act as an interim PM.
6. 14 of world’s 20 most polluted cities are Indian, Delhi most polluted capital
According to 2019 World Air Quality Report, 14 of the world’s 20 most polluted cities of the world are in India. Delhi topped the list of world’s most polluted capital cities in the world while Ghaziabad topped the list of most polluted regional cities. The average Particulate Matter (PM 2.5) concentration of Delhi is 98.6, said the report.
7. Microsoft, SBI partner to Train Differently-Abled People
Global tech giant Microsoft has announced a partnership with State Bank of India to train differently-abled people for empowering them to find jobs in the banking, financial services and insurance sector.
More than 500 differently-abled youths will be upskilled in the first year of the partnership. As per the firm it is an ideal partnership. This is a new beginning in training and finding people with any kind of disability but employable. Our experience with them has been fantastic, SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar told the media persons in Mumbai.
8. Commonwealth Games 2022: Shooting and archery events to be held in India
India will host the archery and shooting events at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, six months before the main event in Birmingham. The proposal was put forward by India, who threatened to boycott Birmingham 2022 after shooting was excluded.
Both events will take place in Chandigarh in January 2022, with the main Games from 27 July to 7 August.
9. ‘Human computer’ Katherine Johnson dies at 101
NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, whose calculations helped get the first Americans to space and back safely, died today at the age of 101. Among her many accomplishments, she completed the trajectory analysis for Alan Shepard’s 1961 suborbital flight, which was the first time the US sent a human into space.
10. Abbott India launches vaccine against 4 strains of influenza virus
Abbott India announced the launch of an inactivated vaccine in India against four strains of influenza virus.
“It is the only 0.5 ml quadrivalent flu vaccine in India that has been approved for use in children below 3 years. In fact, it can be given to children from 6 months onwards, and to adults,” the company said in a statement.
11. Tech Mahindra to acquire Zen3 Infosolutions for Rs 460cr
IT company Tech Mahindra on Monday said it has signed an agreement to acquire 100 per cent stake in US-based Zen3 Infosolutions for $64 million (Rs 460 crore) in an all-cash deal. Headquartered in Seattle, Zen 3 has over 1,300 employees spread across offices in Seattle, Dublin, Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam and Bengaluru.
12. NTPC’s acquisition of entire stake in NEEPCO, THDC India gets CCI nod
Fair trade regulator CCI on Monday said it has given nod to acquisition of government’s entire stake in THDC India and North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd (NEEPCO) by state-owned NTPC Ltd.
As part of transactions, NTPC will acquire 100 per cent of the issued and paid-up share capital of the NEEPCO and 74.5 per cent stake in THDC India, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) noted in separate releases.
