Current Affairs Update – 21st and 22nd February, 2016

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Current Affairs at a Glance – 21st and 22nd
February, 2016

  1. Aditya Birla Group’s two companies Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd (ABNL) and
    Idea Cellular Limited on 19 February
    2016 announced that they formed a joint
    venture company
    . The joint venture will be known as Aditya Birla Idea Payment Banks Limited and was set up under the
    Guidelines for Licensing of Payment Banks issued by the Reserve Bank of India
    on 27 November 2014.
  2. Software major Wipro has tied up with Verveba, a telecom network
    engineering company, for providing advanced mobile radio network optimisation
    solutions.
  3. Aiming to strengthen India-UAE economic ties, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has signed an MoU with Dubai Exports to boost trade and explore business opportunities.
  4. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
    21 February 2016 launched Shyama Prasad
    Mukherjee National Rurban Mission
    . The mission was launched from Kurubhat
    village in Dongargarh block of Rajnandgaon district in Chhattisgarh.
  5. The Centre has launched a mobile
    app ‘Swachh Paryatan’ in order to facilitate general public to communicate
    their complaints about any unclean area/garbage piles in and around tourist
    destinations.
  6. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on 19 February 2016
    successfully tested high-thrust cryogenic
    engine CE-20 at its Propulsion
    Research Centre in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.
  7. Kalikho Pul on 19 February 2016 was sworn in as the ninth Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh.
  8. President Pranab Mukherjee on 22
    February 2016 appointed Justice Vineet Saran as the new Chief
    Justice of Orissa (Odisha) High Court
    . He will take oath on 26 February
    2016.
  9. Former Prime Minister of the
    Central African Republic, FaustinArchange Touadera on 20 February 2016 was declared winner in the second
    round of presidential elections.
  10. India has yet again emerged as the world’s largest importer of arms,
    with Russia being the top supplier garnering 70% of the Indian market
    , a
    Stockholm-based think-tank said today. India was the largest importer of major
    arms in 2011-15, accounting for 14% of the global total, the report titled
    ‘Trends in International Arms Transfers’ said.
  11. International Mother Language Day 2016 was celebrated across the
    world on 21 February 2016. The theme
    for the year 2016 is Quality education, language(s) of instruction and learning
    outcomes.
  12. World Day of Social Justice was observed on 20 February 2016 with the theme A Just Transition – environmentally
    sustainable economies and societies.
  13. The Jaypee Punjab Warriors on 21 February 2016 defeated Kalinga
    Lancers 6-1 to clinch Hockey India
    League (HIL)
    title in the fourth edition of the six-team tournament at the
    Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Ranchi, Jharkhand.
  14. New Zealand cricket team captain Brendon McCullum on 20 February 2016 scored fastest test century. McCullum scored the century in record 54 balls against Australia on the first day
    of the 2nd match that was played for Trans-Tasman Trophy in Christchurch, New
    Zealand.
  15. Malayalam film “Ottal
    was named the Best Children’s Film at
    the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival
    in Germany. It was honoured
    with the Crystal Bear Award in the ‘Generation K-Plus’ section.
  16. Harper Lee, the author
    of To Kill a Mockingbird, passed away on 19 February 2016 in Monroeville, Alabama, U.S. She was 89.

Finance/Banking –
Aditya Birla Nuvo, Idea Cellular formed joint venture for setting up
Payments Bank

  • Aditya Birla Group’s two
    companies Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd (ABNL) and Idea Cellular Limited on 19 February
    2016 announced that they formed a joint venture company.
  • The joint venture will be known
    as Aditya Birla Idea Payment Banks Limited and was set up under the Guidelines
    for Licensing of Payment Banks issued by the Reserve Bank of India on 27
    November 2014.
  • In the payments bank, while
    Aditya Birla Nuvo will be holding up to 51 percent shares, balance 49 percent
    shares will be held by the Idea Cellular.
  • While ABNL is a 4.4 billion US
    dollar premium conglomerate and active in textiles and apparel, carbon black,
    fertilizers, insulators, mobile telephony and financial services; Idea Cellular
    is India’s third largest mobile operator by subscriber base.

Wipro ties up with Verveba Telecom

  • Software major Wipro has tied up
    with Verveba, a telecom network engineering company, for providing advanced
    mobile radio network optimisation solutions.
  • The companies will jointly offer
    solutions to address industry challenges in generating measurable economic
    value from fast growing, mobile network technology deployments and
    optimisation, especially in 4G and single RAN technologies.
  • The companies will work together
    on business development activities and expanding solutions to the telecom
    service providers globally.

CII signs MoU with Dubai exports to boost trade

  • Aiming to strengthen India-UAE
    economic ties, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has signed an MoU with
    Dubai Exports to boost trade and explore business opportunities.
  • CII, a non-government
    organisation, has signed an memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Dubai
    Exports, which works with other Dubai Government Departments to simplify the
    export process.
  • It develops long-term growth
    strategies to expand businesses and maximise the opportunities given by Dubai’s
    unique position as a natural trade gateway between the East and West.

Empowered Group of State Transport Ministers formed to suggest measures
on transport sector
  • Union Ministry of Road Transport
    and Highways on 22 February 2016 formed an Empowered Group of State Transport
    Ministers.
  • An announcement in this regard
    was made at the 16th Meeting of National Road Safety Council by the Union Road
    Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi.
  • The group, chaired by the
    Rajasthan Transport Minister Yunus Khan, will suggest measures to boost the
    transport sector, improve the public transport system and minimise road
    accidents in the country.
  • The formation of the group is in
    tune with the Union Government’s concerted action plan to reduce road accidents
    by half by 2019.

India –
PM Narendra Modi launched Rurban Mission in Chhattisgarh

  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
    21 February 2016 launched Shyama Prasad Mukherjee National Rurban Mission. The
    mission was launched from Kurubhat village in Dongargarh block of Rajnandgaon
    district in Chhattisgarh.
  • The Rurban Mission seeks to
    develop smart village on the line of smart cities and reduce the burden of
    migration to the cities through adopting ‘cluster approach’.
  • Under the Mission, Murmunda
    village cluster in Rajnandgaon will cater 16 village panchayats – Kurrubhat,
    Bhagwantola, Bhandarpur, Haransinghi, Jamri, Jatkanhar, Khallari, Matketa,
    Medha, Mudhpar, Murmunda, Nagtarai, Pinkapar, Pipariya, Rajkatta and Raka.

Swachh Paryatan mobile app launched

  • The Centre has launched a mobile
    app ‘Swachh Paryatan’ in order to facilitate general public to communicate
    their complaints about any unclean area/garbage piles in and around tourist
    destinations.
  • The app, which is available on
    Android Phones, will also be soon available on Apple and Microsoft as well, the
    Ministry of Tourism said in a statement on Monday.
  • It shall be monitored by the
    Project Monitoring Unit of Swachh Bharat Mission in Ministry of Tourism.
  • Initially, 25 Adarsh Smarak
    Monuments such as Red Fort, Taj Mahal, Elephanta Caves, Qutub Minar Complex,
    among others, have been identified for inclusion in the app, but it would be
    scaled up to include more monuments as the campaign expands, the statement
    said.

ISRO successfully tested high-thrust Cryogenic Engine CE-20

  • The Indian Space Research
    Organisation (ISRO) on 19 February 2016 successfully tested high-thrust
    cryogenic engine CE-20 at its Propulsion Research Centre in Mahendragiri, Tamil
    Nadu.
  • The successful hotbed test lasted
    640 seconds and paved the way for the first developmental flight of the GSLV
    Mark 3 in December 2016.
  • The GSLV Mark 3, the biggest
    rocket made in India, will be capable of launching 4-tonne satellites into
    geosynchronous orbit.
  • So far India’s GSLVs were being
    powered by cryogenic engines given by Russia. But this development marks a
    milestone in the country’s effort to develop a big cryogenic engine to fly
    satellites of up to five tonnes.

Appointments –
Kalikho Pul sworn in as Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh

  • Kalikho Pul on 19 February 2016
    was sworn in as the ninth Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh.
  • Pul was sworn in as the CM with
    the support of 18 rebel Congress MLAs, and two Independents and 11 BJP MLAs who
    gave outside support.
  • State Governor J P Rajkhowa
    administered the oath of office to Pul around 9.30 in the night.
  • On 26 January 2016, President
    Pranab Mukherjee approved the Union Cabinet’s recommendation for the imposition
    of President’s rule on Arunachal Pradesh.
  • The President’s Rule was lifted
    after the Supreme Court vacated its interim order to maintain status quo in the
    Arunachal Pradesh assembly, paving the way for government formation.

Justice Vineet Saran appointed as the new Chief Justice of Orissa High
Court

  • President Pranab Mukherjee on 22
    February 2016 appointed Justice Vineet Saran as the new Chief Justice of Orissa
    (Odisha) High Court. He will take oath on 26 February 2016.
  • Prior to this appointment,
    Justice Saran was working as a senior judge of Karnataka High Court.
  • The post of Orissa (Odisha) Chief
    Justice was vacant since 15 February 2016 as Justice D H Waghela was
    transferred be the Chief Justice of Bombay High Court.

Faustin-Archange Touadera elected President of Central African Republic

  • Former Prime Minister of the
    Central African Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadera on 20 February 2016 was
    declared winner in the second round of presidential elections.
  • As per the initial results
    announced by National Elections Authority (ANE) president Marie-Madeleine
    Nkouet, Touadera, who campaigned against corruption, won 62.71 percent of votes
    cast in the 14 February 2016 election. On the other hand, his contender
    Anicet-Georges Dologuele managed to poll 37.29 percent of the votes.

List/Reports –
India again world’s biggest arms importer: Swedish think-tank

  • India has yet again emerged as
    the world’s largest importer of arms, with Russia being the top supplier
    garnering 70% of the Indian market, a Stockholm-based think-tank said today.
  • India’s imports, accounting for
    14% of global arms imports, were three times greater than those of China and
    Pakistan, it said.
  • Interestingly, six of the top 10
    largest arms importers in the period 2011-15 are in Asia and Oceania.
  • India tops the list with 14% of
    global arms imports. China ranks second with 4.7%, Australia (3.6%), Pakistan
    (3.3%), Vietnam (2.9%) and South Korea (2.6%).
  • The emergence of the US as a
    major supplier to India is a recent development. The US imports are also
    growing. They were 11 times higher in 2011-15 than in 2006-10, the Stockholm
    International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said in a report.
  • India was the largest importer of
    major arms in 2011-15, accounting for 14% of the global total, the report
    titled ‘Trends in International Arms Transfers’ said.
  • Between 2006-10 and 2011-15
    imports increased by 90%.
  • India was the world’s largest
    importer of weapons and military equipment in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Days –
International Mother Language Day observed on February 21

  • International Mother Language Day
    2016 was celebrated across the world on 21 February 2016. The theme for the
    year 2016 is Quality education, language(s) of instruction and learning
    outcomes.
  • The theme emphasizes the
    importance of appropriate languages of instruction, usually mother tongues, in
    the early years of schooling.

World Day of Social Justice observed on 20 February
  • World Day of Social Justice was
    observed on 20 February 2016 with the theme A Just Transition – environmentally
    sustainable economies and societies.
  • To mark the occasion, various
    activities were organised across the world to stress importance of the 2030
    Agenda for Sustainable Development which laid special emphasis on achieving
    social justice.

Sports –
Punjab Warriors defeated Kalinga Lancers to win 2016 Hockey India
League

  • The Jaypee Punjab Warriors on 21
    February 2016 defeated Kalinga Lancers 6-1 to clinch Hockey India League (HIL)
    title in the fourth edition of the six-team tournament at the Birsa Munda Hockey
    Stadium in Ranchi, Jharkhand.
  • The Punjab Warriors were third
    time lucky as they had finished runners-up in the last two editions. They lost
    to Delhi Waveriders in 2014 and to Ranchi Rays in 2015.
  • Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar
    Das presented the winner’s trophy to Jaypee Punjab Warriors captain Sardar
    Singh and Mark Knowles.
  • The Player of the Tournament
    Award of 50 lakh rupees was awarded to Rupinder Pal Singh of Delhi Waveriders.

New Zealand cricketer Brendon McCullum scored fastest test century in
54 balls

  • New Zealand cricket team captain
    Brendon McCullum on 20 February 2016 scored fastest test century. McCullum
    scored the century in record 54 balls against Australia on the first day of the
    2nd match that was played for Trans-Tasman Trophy in Christchurch, New Zealand.
  • To score the fastest and the 12th
    test century, the 34-year old player took 2 balls less than West Indies’ Viv
    Richards and Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq who jointly held the previous record.
  • While Viv Richards scored it
    against England in Antigua in 1986, Misbah-ul-Haq’s century came against
    Australia in Abu Dhabi in 2014 in 56 balls.

Italy’s Sara Errani clinched Dubai Tennis Championships title
  • Italy’s Sara Errani on 20
    February 2016 defeated Czech Republic’s Barbora Strycova to clinch the WTA
    Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships women’s singles title.
  • A former Top 10 fixture and
    French Open finalist, Errani’s greater big-match experience shone through as
    she emerged victorious by a 6-0, 6-2.

Triple jumper Renjith Maheswary won silver in Asian Indoor Athletics
Championships
  • Triple jumper Renjith Maheswary
    on 21 February 2016 won silver medal at the 7th Asian Indoor Athletics
    Championships in Doha, Qatar. His silver helped India to increase its medal
    tally to five in the championships.
  • Maheswary had a modest jump of
    16.16 metres. Gold went to Kazakhstan’s Roman Valiyev with 16.69m and Rashid
    Ahmed Al Mannai won the bronze with 15.97m.

Ronnie O’Sullivan defeated Neil Robertson to win 2016 Welsh Open
  • Ronnie O’Sullivan on 21 February
    2016 won seven frames in a row to beat Neil Robertson 9-5 and win 2016
    BetVictor Welsh Open title held at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales.
  • O’Sullivan met Robertson in the
    final. Despite trailing 3–5 after the afternoon session, O’Sullivan won all six
    frames played in the evening session to defeat Robertson 9–5 and equal John
    Higgins’ record of four Welsh Open titles.
  • It was O’Sullivan’s 28th ranking
    title, which put him in joint second place with Higgins and Steve Davis for the
    number of career ranking titles.

Awards & Honors –
Malayalam film Ottal named best children’s film at Berlin International
Film Festival

  • Malayalam film “Ottal” was named
    the Best Children’s Film at the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival in
    Germany. It was honoured with the Crystal Bear Award in the ‘Generation K-Plus’
    section.
  • The film, directed by Jayaraj
    Rajasekharan Nair, is about the story of an old fisherman and his grandson. The
    movie is an adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s short story ‘Vanaka’.
  • Jayaraj is known for adapting
    literary classic into films. He has earlier made films based on Shakespeare’s
    works such as “Othello” and “Antony and Cleopatra”. This is
    the third year in a row that Indian films have triumphed.

Obituaries –
To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee died

  • Harper Lee, the author of To Kill
    a Mockingbird, passed away on 19 February 2016 in Monroeville, Alabama, U.S.
    She was 89.
  • Lee was widely known for her
    debut novel To Kill a Mockingbird, published in 1960. Immediately successful,
    it won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize and has become a classic of modern American
    literature.
  • The author’s  second novel, Go Set a Watchman, was written
    in the mid-1950s and controversially published in July 2015 as a sequel, though
    it was later confirmed to be To Kill a Mockingbird’s first draft.

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This post was last modified on July 20, 2019 10:16 am