CURRENT AFFAIRS
AWARDS AND HONORS
- Alastair Cook awarded Order of the British Empire
England Test captain Alastair Cook has been honoured with Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE). He was awarded the CBE at the Buckingham Palace by Prince Charles.
Cook is the only England player to have scored over 10,000 runs in Tests and has also led England in the most number of Tests. Cook said, receiving the CBE was a very proud moment for him, his family and friends.
APPOINTMENTS
- Arun Kumar succeeds Richard Rekhy as KPMG India chairman
KPMG India board has elected Arun M Kumar as chairman and CEO to lead the India operations of the consulting and accounting major.
He succeeds Richard Rekhy, who stepped down in November last year following a large scale exodus of key people from the advisory team. Kumar, who spent the majority of his career with KPMG in the US, will take charge from February 5 for a five-year term.
INDIAN AFFAIRS
- ‘President Pranab’ to bloom at Delhi’s Mughal Gardens by March first week
As the Mughal Gardens at Rashtrapati Bhavan reopen first time for visitors will see roses named after the Indian President and his wife, growing next to ‘ Abraham Lincoln’, ‘Christian Dior’ and ‘Queen Elizabeth’ .
‘President Pranab’, a crossbred variety of rose which was planted last month along with another variety of rose named ‘Suvra Mukherjee’, will blossom in spring. The President’s wife passed away in August 2015.
- Govt forms panel to improve Haj policy,look into subsidy issue
The Centre has formed a six-member committee to give a report on ways to improve India’s Haj policy and also look into issue of subsidy to the pilgrimage in light of 2012 Supreme Court order on gradually reducing and abolishing it by 2022. Former Consul General of India (CGI), Jeddah, Afzal Amanullah has been appointed as convener of the high-level panel.
- India opens coal-mining market for first time in 40 years
India is getting ready to open up commercial coal mining to private companies for the first time in four decades, with the aim of shifting the world’s third-biggest coal importer towards energy self-sufficiency. The step may allow miners an opportunity to benefit from one of the world’s biggest coal markets, yet the offer has to be good enough to compensate for regulatory challenges, according to analysts.India largest contributor to cancer deaths worldwide
- Health Ministry launches Measles Rubella vaccination campaign
With an aim to eradicate Rubella and Measles from India, the Union Health Ministry has launched the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccination campaign, targeting 41 crore children across the country.
According to the ministry, after the campaign the MR vaccine will be introduced in routine immunisation, replacing the two doses of measles vaccine given to children at 9-12 months and 16-24 months of age.
- Goa witnesses its highest voter turnout at 83%
Assembly elections in Goa saw a record 83% turnout, higher than the 82.2% recorded in 2012. Constituencies with multiple contests and several political parties in the fray, witnessed very high polling. The Election Commission successfully tried out several of its polling reforms including VVPAT.
Each constituency had a special pink polling station, managed entirely by women, where first time women voters were presented a pink teddy bear, first time male voters a pen and other voters a rose added to the charm of election day
MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS
- Startup acquires Google’s satellite imaging business
Alphabet Inc’s Google said it would sell its satellite imaging business, Terra Bella, to Planet Labs, a San Francisco-based private satellite operator founded by former Nasa scientists. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. As part of the deal, Planet Labs will acquire the Terra Bella business including the SkySat constellation of satellites, Alphabet said.
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
- Alibaba-made app helps find 611 missing Chinese children
A mobile app developed by Alibaba helped Chinese authorities recover 611 missing children last year. The ‘Tuanyuan’ app, which means ‘reunion’ in Chinese, sends push notifications with photos and descriptions to users who are close to the location of a child’s disappearance. The notifications are sent to users farther from the location of the disappearance till the child is found.
- UN Seeks India’s Nominee For Anti-Terror Panel
India has been asked to send the name of its nominee for inclusion in a global team to assist a United Nations committee which decides on banning terror outfits and their leaders.
Following the request from the global body, both the Home and Finance ministries have been asked to recommend names of suitable individuals who can be part of the key team.
- Sweden pledges to cut all greenhouse gas emissions by 2045
Sweden has committed to completely phase out greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 and called for all countries – including the US – to “step up and fulfil the Paris Agreement”. In one of the most ambitious emissions plans published by a developed nation, the Swedish government has reaffirmed the urgency of tackling climate change.
- Latvia builds 23 km of ‘anti-migrant wall’ on Russia border
Latvia has completed the first stages of protecting EU borders after erecting a 14-mile fence along the Russian border to stop illegal migrants entering the European Union. The construction was started back in 2015, and planning to finish it by 2019.
Forty miles of the border zone was built up, and the 14-mile fence was constructed. The fence will stand around 20cm taller than the planned “Great Estonian Wall” which is expected to be only 2.5 metres in height.
- Johnson & Johnson sued for selling leaking breast implants
A Johnson & Johnson unit is allegedly selling defective breast implants that are causing health problems for some women, including muscle pain and nausea, according to the first state-court lawsuit in California over the devices.
J&J’s Mentor Worldwide unit failed to conduct proper studies of its silicone-based implants’ health risks that were mandated by government regulators, lawyers for Rexine Mize said in the suit filed in Los Angeles. Leaks from the devices are causing a variety of ailments for Mize and other women, she says in the complaint.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
- NASA’s Juno spacecraft completes fourth flyby of Jupiter
At the time of closest approach (perijove), Juno was about 2,670 miles (4,300 km) above the planet’s cloud tops. All of Juno’s eight science instruments and the spacecraft’s JunoCam were operating during the flyby to collect data that is now being returned to Earth. The Juno science team continues to analyze returns from previous flybys.
JunoCam, the first interplanetary outreach camera, is now being guided with the assistance from the public. Juno launched on Aug. 5, 2011, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and arrived at Jupiter on July 4, 2016.
- Single-dose Zika vaccine works in animals: study
An innovative vaccine made from genetic material protected lab animals from the Zika virus in experiments. A new Zika vaccine candidate has the potential to protect against the virus with a single dose, according to a research team led by scientists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
- New data transfer record created in Quantum computing
Scientists have set a new record in the transfer of information via superdense coding, a process by which the properties of particles like photons, protons and electrons are used to store as much information as possible. Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) transferred 1.67 bits per qubit, or quantum bit, over a fibre optic cable, edging out the previous record of 1.63 per qubit.
SPORTS
- Kohli 2nd Indian to feature on the cover of Wisden Almanack
Virat Kohli becomes the second Indian after Sachin Tendulkar to feature on the cover of the Wisden Cricketers Almanack after the Indian captain’s exceptional performances over the course of 2016. Kohli had an exceptional 2016 where he finished as the highest run-scorer with 2595 runs from 41 innings at an average of 86.50 including 7 centuries and 13 half-centuries
- Delhi to host National Race Walk Championships on Feb 18-19
India’s top athletes are expected to take part in the season-opening fourth National Race Walking Championships which will be held on February 18 and 19. The competition for Under-20 boys and girls will also be held along with the senior men’s and women’s events. MAX Bupa will be the title sponsor for the event.
