NATIONAL NEWS
Head of state of Monaco Prince Albert II arrives in New Delhi
The head of state of Monaco, Prince Albert II arrived in New Delhi on a week-long visit to India. He attended the India-Monaco Business Forum followed by a round-table on energy and climate.
- He will meet President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 5 February. The Head of state of Monaco is scheduled to visit Gandhi Smriti. He will also visit Udaipur in Rajasthan before heading home.
- Extra info.:
Monaco Capital: Monte Carlo
Currency: Euro
20th Bharat Rang Mahotsav inaugurated in New Delhi
The Minister of State for Culture Dr. Mahesh Sharma, inaugurated the 21-day-long nationwide theatre spectacle Bhart Rang Mahotsav at Kamani Auditorium in New Delhi. The 20th edition of Bharat Rang Mahotsav (BRM), the international theatre festival of India, is organized by National School of Drama (NSD), one of the prominent training institutions in the world.
- The National School of Drama (NSD) is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Culture. The 20th BRM comes with 111 national and international acts in its basket that includes folk and other traditional theatre forms, invitee plays, and productions by the students of the National School of Drama.
8000 Health and Wellness Centres have become operational across the country: Govt
Government said that 8000 Health and Wellness Centres have become operational in 35 states and Union Territories. Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey, said this while chairing the 6th meeting of the Mission Steering Group of National Health Mission in New Delhi.
- The government has set a target to set up nearly 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres by 2022.
Assam CM Sonowal inaugurates 2nd ASEAN-India Youth Summit
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the 2nd ASEAN-Inda Youth Summit in Guwahati and underlined the need for mutual cooperation among the ASEAN countries for strengthening the multilateral relations of the region.
- He said in the present day world order, friendly relations among the 10 ASEAN countries and three BBN countries are of immense importance for promoting and strengthening the mutual interests like trade and commerce, education, health, connectivity, socio-cultural integration, etc.
India’s Tourism Sector Registers 19% Growth In 2018
Union Minister KJ Alphons has said that the country's tourism sector fetched 234 billion US Dollar revenue last year, registering a growth of over 19%. Delivering the inaugural speech at the 2nd ASEAN-India Youth Summit in Guwahati, he said the country is ranked third in the tourism sector, according to the 2018 report of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).
- This revenue was contributed by 87 per cent domestic and 13 per cent foreign tourists.
- Extra info.:
World Travel and Tourism Council Headquarters: London, United Kingdom
Delhi to host international symposium on creativity, freedom
At a time when the digital sphere has pervaded almost all spheres of life, and when nearly everything creative has been commodified, an symposium on "Creativity and Freedom" will take place in New Delhi.
- The event will be presented in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur, Agha Khan Foundation and Raza Foundation and will be held at the India International Centre (IIC).
Odisha Govt announces KALIA scholarship scheme for farmers' children
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced the new 'KALIA Chhatravritti Yojana', which is a scholarship for the children of farmers who are the beneficiaries of Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme.
- Under this scheme, the children of farmers, who are the beneficiaries of the KALIA scheme will be provided scholarships for pursuing higher education in professional courses free of cost.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
New e-Commerce Policy Comes Into Effect from Feb 1
India’s new e-commerce policy came into effect on February 1, 2019. The implementation has caused widespread disruption for the online retailers, forcing some of them to take down an array of items from their website. A new set of policy rules were formed for the e-commerce companies. It gave them a 60-day window period for aligning themselves to the government’s modified foreign direct investment (FDI) rules.
- The new e-commerce norms bar online retailers from selling products through vendors in which they have an equity interest. It also bars them from entering into exclusive deals with brands for selling products only on their platforms.
Indian Online Companies rank 11th for overseas expansion: Singapore and Hong Kong top list
Singapore and Hong Kong are the number one countries when it comes to online companies doing business abroad. India fell just outside the top ten (Ranked 11th) but still ahead of the UK and US.
- This was revealed in a study conducted by San Francisco-based online payment processing firm Stripe.
SPORTS
Rohit Sharma 14th Indian to appear in 200 ODIs
Rohit Sharma became the 14th Indian to play 200 one-day internationals when he walked out to toss with New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson in the fourth match of the five-ODI series in Hamilton.
- Rohit Sharma joined the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Mohammad Azharuddin, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Virat Kohli in the Indian club of 200 ODIs.
McCullum announces retirement from Big Bash League
Former New Zealand cricketer Brendon McCullum has announced his retirement from Australia's domestic Twenty20 tournament - Big Bash League (BBL). He would continue to feature in other T20 leagues around the globe before beginning his career as a coach.
Hockey midfielder Navjot Kaur completes 150 international matches
Indian women's hockey team midfielder Navjot Kaur, who climbed the ranks in the national team with significant performances, completed the milestone of playing 150 international matches. The Kurukshetra-born player achieved the feat during her side's match against Ireland in India's tour of Spain.
- The Indian midfielder also featured in the 17th Asian Games, 2016 Rio Olympics, fourth Women's Asian Champions Trophy and was part of India's silver medal feat at the 2018 Asian Games.
IMPORTANT DAYS
World Cancer Day
World Cancer Day is an international day, which is marked on 4th February to increase awareness of cancer, and to encourage its prevention, early detection and treatment. The estimated number of deaths due to cancer in 2018 was 9.5 million, which amounts to a whopping 26,000 deaths a day. This number is expected to increase as environmental stresses increase, air quality worsens, lifestyles and eating habits too.
- Every year the theme has its own theme. The theme for World Cancer Day 2019 is 'I am and I will'.
National Road Safety Week
Road safety week is a national event aimed at raising public awareness about traffic rules and ultimately to reduce casualties due to road accidents. Millions lose their life and millions get injured in road accidents globally; mainly, due to lack of awareness about traffic rules or a behavior of flouting them.
- 30th Road Safety Week 2019 will be celebrated in India from 04th February to the 10th February. There have been various awareness campaigns and events which are being conducted across the country in all the states. Theme for Road Safety Week 2019 is same as last year “Sadak Suraksha-Jeevan Raksha”.
