Current Affairs Updates - 6th February 2018

Current Affairs Updates - 6th February 2018

Today, we have brought to you the Current Affairs Updates for 6th February 2018. All the important headlines of National, International Affairs, Schemes and Awards have been provided in bullet points. Aspirants can also follow the Daily Gk Oneliner and Current Affairs Quiz. These are of vital importance for the upcoming exams of Rail, Bank and SSC CHSL. We hope our readers like our daily updates and provide regular feedback.

First in India 

The First ever International Kala Mela was inaugurated by the Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu in New Delhi

• The International Kala Mela has been organised by the Lalit Kala Akademi in partnership with IGNCA of the Ministry of Culture. More than 800 artists from across the world are taking part in the Festival.

Mumbai airport becomes world’s busiest single-runway airport with 980 flights in 24 hours.

• With this, the Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International airport bettered its own feat of 974 flights in 24 hours, recorded on December 6, 2017.

New Appointments: National

Senior IPS officer Sudeep Lakhtakia took charge as the new Director General of National Security Guard (NSG).

• Sudeep Lakhtakia is 1984-batch IPS officer of the Telangana cadre. 

Retired bureaucrat Naba Kumar Nayak is appointed as the State Election Commissioner (SEC) ahead of this year's urban local body (ULB) elections.

• A retired IAS officer, Nayak, has long administrative experience including election management. He served the state government in various capacities including district collector, Puri (2012-13) and Mayurbhanj (2012) and deputy relief commissioner.

New Appointments: International

Syed Mahmud Hossain has been appointed Chief Justice of Bangladesh barely three months after Surendra Kumar Sinha resigned from the post.

• President Md Abdul Hamid administered the oath for Hossain as the 22nd chief justiceof the Supreme Court in Dhaka.

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades re-elected.

• Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades vowed to push on with attempts to reunify the ethnically divided island nation and to improve the economic fortunes of its people after he was re-elected by a wide margin Sunday.

National Affairs

The Maharashtra government has approved Ghodazari in Chandrapur district as a new wildlife sanctuary in the state.

• The decision was taken at the 13th meeting of the Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavi.
• The sanctuary, in the North East of Tadoba, will include 159 sq km of Brahmapuri forest.

India has contributed additional 1 million dollar to India-UN Development Partnership Fund, earmarked for South-South cooperation.

• The contribution aims to intensify its partnerships with other developing countries in south.

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has launched Green Good Deeds campaign.

• The purpose of the people-oriented campaign is to sensitise people and students, in particular about climate change and global warming.

International Affairs

Sri Lanka celebrated its 70th anniversary of Independence Day here with grand military parades and attendance of political celebrities.

• Sri Lanka tri forces held a colorful grand parade along the Galle Road, close to the Colombo Harbour to celebrate its 70th anniversary of independence from the British colonial rule in 1948.

Sweden has signed Strategic Partnership Agreement with United Nations for committing record 370 million dollars to UN World Food Programme.

• The contribution is for next four years i.e. 2018-2021. It is the biggest ever contribution made by donor within a WFP Strategic Partnership Agreement. 

Science & Technology

With the much-awaited Chandrayaan-2 mission, India's second flight to the moon, Isro is attempting to pull off a daredevil manoeuvre. 

• It will be the first-ever mission to soft land near the moon's south pole, which poses a number of challenges.

Defence & Railway News

The Chief of US Air Force, General David L Goldfein flew a sortie in indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas at the Indian Air Force (IAF) station in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

• He became first foreign military chief to fly Tejas aircraft. He was accompanied by Air Vice Marshal AP Singh as a co-pilot during the short flight.

The Maratha Light Infantry celebrated 250 years of its existence on 4 February 2018.

• The first battalion of regiment was raised as ‘Second Battalion Bombay Sepoys’ on this day in 1768.

Books & Authors

Exam Warriors, a book penned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for students, will be released in the presence of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar.

• The book is the fifth one to be written by the Prime Minister and the first on the need to develop stress-free attitude to exams. Catered for young minds, the books also incorporates interactive elements such as bar codes for e-reading. 

A book, titled "Abinta Kabir: Mulyabodh O Swapner Nam, on the life of Abinta Kabir" the 19-year-old Bangladeshi national killed in the terror attack in Gulshan area of Dhaka on July 1, 2016, was released by Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner Toufique Hasan and Ms. Ahmed in Kolkata.

• A report published in The Hindu, soon after Ms Kabir was killed in the July attack, quoting Atlanta-based Emory University, where she was studying, said, “Abinta, who was from Miami, was a rising sophomore at Emory’s Oxford College.” She, along with 20 others —including an Indian Tarishi Jain — was killed in the attack. Ms Ahmed called them “real friends.”

Schemes / Programme

The central government has approved a project to abate pollution of river Sal at Navelim in Goa at an estimated cost of Rs 61.7 crore.

• The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had in 2015 identified the river stretch at Navelim as one of the 302 polluted river stretches across the country based on bio-chemical oxygen demand (BOD) levels - a key indicator of organic pollution showing water quality.

Summit /Conference / Events

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Guwahati and visited an exhibition at Global Investors Summit 2018 - 'Advantage Assam' for the inaugural ceremony. 

• The two-day event, will showcase the state's manufacturing opportunities and geostrategic advantages to foreign and domestic investors.
• The Summit has been organised by the Assam Government, in association with the industry body the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), aiming to position the state as India's Expressway to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries.

The theme for this year’s Taj Mahotsav will be centred around Lord Ram, rather than India's Mughal heritage.

• The Mahotsav will be held in Shilgram from 18 to 27 February. 
• The Taj Mahotsav Organising Committee has decided to stage a dance-based drama by Shriram Bharati Kala Kendra on Lord Ram at the opening ceremony on February 18. 

Awards & Honours: Sports

Shubhankar Sharma wins second European Tour title in Malaysia.

• Shubhankar Sharma of India won his second European Tour title after carding 10 birdies in a joint tournament-low 62 in the final round of the Maybank Championship on Sunday.

Awards & Honours: Miscellaneous

Guillermo del Toro Wins at the Directors Guild Awards

• Inclusion was very much the theme of the evening. Each of the nominees in the feature-directing category was invited onstage to make a speech. The ceremony, which was hosted by Judd Apatow, took place inside the same Beverly Hilton ballroom.

Other Sports & Award Related News

P V Sindhu was defeated by American Beiwen Zhang in India Open held at Siri Forts Complex to finish runner-up at the India Open Super 500 tournament.

• India Open is a badminton event held annually at the Siri Fort Sports Complex, New Delhi.