Current Affairs - February 25, 2020 Current Affairs

The Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2020 were held in Mumbai. Actor Ravi Dubey served as the host of the evening and many celebrities attended the glamorous event from the film and television industry. Best actor award was won by Hrithik Roshan for 'Super 30'.

Central Excise Day is celebrated on 24 February in India. The day recognizes the contribution of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (at present Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs). The day marks the enactment of the Central Excise and Salt Act in 1944.The day aims honours the contribution of the Central Board of Excise and Custom to India's economy.

Pakistan Railways has inaugurated the first ever freight train service that will transit cargo from port city of Karachi to Kandahar in Afghanistan.

Former rebel leader Riek Machar was sworn in as South Sudan's first vice president as part of a unity government with his former adversary President Salva Kiir, a tentative step toward peace after years of civil war ravaged the oil-rich yet impoverished nation.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami announced 5 schemes for children living in government-run homes on the birth anniversary of former Tamil Nadu CM J. Jayalalithaa. The aim is to honour the late leader CM J. Jayalalithaa's birthday.

Adline Castelino has been crowned as the winner of LIVA Miss Diva Universe 2020 competition. Castelino, who hails from Mangalore, was crowned by Vartika Singh, the winner of the previous edition, at an event in YRF Studios.

Dr. Niti Kumar has received the SERB Women Excellence Award 2020. The award will be conferred by the President of India Ram Nath Kovind during National Science Day Celebrations on 28 February 2020 in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The award is presented to women scientists below 40 years of age who have received recognition from national academies.

The chess world's rising star Alireza Firouzja, aged 16 and exiled from Iran, won his first major trophy when he defeated India's Vidit Gujrathi, 2-0 in a speed play-off in the Prague Masters.

Young Indian GM Gukesh wins title at Cannes Open chess tourney. India's 13-year old Grandmaster D Gukesh emerged champion in the 34th Cannes Open in Cannes, France, beating Harutyun Bargseghyan of the host nation in the final round to end with 7.5 points.

President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi will confer the highest civilian award and honorary citizenship to Darren Sammy on 23 March for his invaluable contribution to cricket in Pakistan. In his request Zalmi owner Javed Afridi maintained Peshawar Zalmi captain, Darren Sammy, has been a true friend of Pakistan.

The Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2020 were held in Mumbai. Actor Ravi Dubey served as the host of the evening and many celebrities attended the glamorous event from the film and television industry. Best actress award was won by Dia Mirza for 'Kaafir'.

Venezuela's Yulimar Rojas claimed a new world indoor triple jump record at the final World Indoor Tour event of the season in Madrid. The 24-year-old double world champion recorded 15.43m with her sixth and final attempt. It eclipsed Russian Tatyana Lebedeva's previous landmark from 2004 by seven centimetres.

Rajalaxmi Singh Deo was re-elected as the president of the Rowing Federation of India (RFI) after the successful conclusion of the elections. Rajpal Singh, G Bhasker, Souvik Ghose, and Sreekunara Kurup were elected as vice-presidents.

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched PM-KISAN mobile application on the first anniversary of the launch of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) on 24 February.

The US has surpassed China to become India's top trading partner, according to Commerce Ministry data. In 2018-19, the bilateral trade between the US and India stood at $87.95 billion as compared to India's two-way commerce with China aggregated at $87.07 billion during the period.

Former India footballer Ashok Chatterjee, who was a part of the country's bronze-medal winning teams in the Merdeka Cup in 1965 and 1966, died. He was 78 and is survived by his wife and musician son Sandip.

Delhi and Ahmedabad topped the list of seven metro cities in daily average consumption of "added fat" in dishes such as dal fry, stuffed paratha, and mutton biryani. The seven cities are Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai.

An international conference on "Ensemble Methods in Modelling and Data Assimilation (EMMDA)" began on 24 February 2020 at NCMRWF, Noida, India. The conference will be held from 24-26 February. It was inaugurated by Dr.Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Science and Technology, Earth Sciences.

The first anniversary of the iconic National War Memorial (NWM) will be observed on 25 February. Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the monument to the nation on 25 February 2019. The memorial is a tribute to the fallen heroes in the line of duty during various wars and internal security challenges since Independence.