Current Affairs - February 10, 2020 Current Affairs

Scientists from Argentina meteorological agency said that Antarctica recorded the hottest temperature ever on 6 February at a remote station on the continent's northern tip. The temperature was recorded at nearly 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3 Celsius) at Argentina's Esperanza research station.

On February 5, 2020, the State Government of Karnataka launched Janasevaka scheme (doorstep delivery). The Cost of the service is Rs 115. This amount does not include the cost of documentation. The scheme is to be implemented in Bengaluru. Depending on the work load, it is to be extended to the rest of Karnataka.

Maharashtra topped the list of India's first-ever ranking of states on justice delivery among the 18 large and mid-sized states.Maharashtra is followed by Kerala and Tamil Nadu, while among the small states Goa topped the list followed by Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh, according to the India Justice Report (IJR) prepared by Tata Trusts in collaboration with Centre for social Justice, Common Cause, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Daksh, TISS-Prayas and Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.

Dame Karen Pierce has been appointed Britain's ambassador to the United States. She became the first woman to hold the position, the most prominent in the diplomatic service. She is currently serving as the UK's permanent representative to the United Nations. She will replace Kim Darroch who had resigned in 2019 over his controversial comments on US President Donald Trump in leaked diplomatic cables.

Chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand has received an honourable mention in the male category of the prestigious 2019 International Olympic Committee's Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of the role he played in the development of the game in the country.

Chief Economist of the World Bank Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg announced her resignation. She will step down from her post on March 1, 2020, and will be teaching at Yale University in Connecticut, United States. WB research director AartKraay will be the interim WB chief economist until the appointment of a new permanent chief economist. Pinelopi took over as the chief economist of WB succeeding Paul Romer at the end of April 2018.

Javelin Joint Venture (JJV), a partnership of two US-based defence majors Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, has signed an MoU with Indian PSU Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) to explore co-production of Javelin anti-tank guided missile system.

On February 7, 2020, the most trafficked mammal of Asia, Pangolin was identified as the host of the virus by the researchers of China. According to them, the outbreak that killed around 636 people in China has started from a market in Wuhan city through Pangolin.

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) launched the India-Central Asia Business Council in partnership with five of the epic industry bodies of Central Asian countries namely Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) approved the merger of the consumer mobile operations of the Tata group with Bharti Airtel. The final approval comes over two years after the companies had announced their plan to merge businesses.

President's Cup silver medalist Gaurav Chauhan (91kg) and former youth world champion Jyoti Gulia (51kg) claimed silver medals as India finished their campaign with 4 silver medals and 1 bronze at the 64th Bocskai Memorial Tournament Debrecen in Hungary.

The 11th edition of the biennial event "Defence Expo 2020" concluded on 8 February in Lucknow. It was organized by the Ministry of Defence. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presided over the valedictory session of the event.Defence Expo 2020 witnessed the participation of three aerospace giants including, Airbus SE and US-based Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co.

Australia was on February 8 presented the ICC Women's Championship trophy, which it retained by taking a winning lead in the eight-team ODI competition played from 2017 to 2020.Meg Lanning's team has now won both editions after ensuring a winning lead in the 2017-2020 championship.

Rajasthan state government has announced that it is to connect the transgender community with the mainstream society. It is to provide separate identity cards for transgenders in the state. The announcement was made by the Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Master Bhanwarlal Meghwal. The move aims to support the transgender community to get the benefit of government jobs and all government schemes.

Railways win both men's and women's trophies at the Senior National Weightlifting Championships in Kolkata; Jeremy Lalrinnunga (men's) and Mirabai Chanu (women's) declared best lifters.

The World Health Organization is to host Global Research Forum between February 11, 2020 and February 12, 2020. The event is to be co-hosted by GlobalResearch Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness.The event will bring together leading public health agencies, leading scientists, funders.

On February 5, 2020, the Pink City of Rajasthan, Jaipur, received World Heritage Certificate from the UNESCO. The UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay visited India to present the certificate.

The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) will modernize 25 fishing harbours in India. The project is to begin in two harbours namely Nizampatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Thoppumpady in Kochi, Kerala.

Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has said the State is preparing to equip itself with all facilities like forensic laboratories, special courts, and public prosecutors to effectively implement the Disha Bill 2019 by June. The Chief Minister was inaugurating the first Disha police station in Rajamahendravaram on February 8. Later, he launched the Disha mobile application at Adikavi Nannayya University.

The Ghaziabad authorities will allot unique number that will be painted on auto-rickshaws plying in the district to ensure that the drivers or miscreants posing as passengers do not get away after crime. The police launched 'Operation Nakail' under which the identity of all auto-rickshaw drivers will be verified and a unique four-digit number will be allotted to them.