National
• Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) of Union Government has given its final approval to Kerala Government’s approval to set up India’s first Defence Industrial Park at Ottappalam.
• The 30th edition of Surajkund International Crafts Mela has begun at Faridabad in Haryana after formally inaugurated by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
• The Union Government has issued detailed guidelines to tackle the outbreak of Zika Virus Disease in the wake of reported cases in the USA.
• The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005 completes ten years of implementation.
• The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has launched the country’s first anti-diabetic ayurvedic drug named BGR-34 for type two Diabetes mellitus.
• Maharashtra government has announced Bharatratna Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Special Collective Incentive Scheme for the economically backward Dalit entrepreneurs.
• The Union Government has constituted two new committees namely Tax Policy Research Unit (TPRU) and Tax Policy Council (TPC) to streamline the taxation policy and administration.
• Moving a step closer to fulfilling its promise of implementing the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme for military personnel, the government released detailed instructions and tables on its implementation.
• India has ratified Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC), 1997 which sets parameters on a nuclear operator’s financial liability.
• India officially became the Associate Member State of European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO).
• Maharashtra Government has rolled out Deradicalisation Programme for the minority community to counter both home-grown extremism and the global Islamic State (IS) threat.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Limited (BCPL) at Lepetkata, Assam and dedicated the facility to the nation.
• The 12th edition of South Asian Games (SAG) has begun in Guwahati, Assam after it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium.
International
• The World Health Organization has announced that the explosive spread of the Zika virus in the Americas is an “extraordinary event” that merits being declared an international emergency.
• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has signed two bilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) with United Kingdom (UK).
• Japan’s ShinMaywa Industries is planning to set up manufacturing plant of US-2 amphibious aircraft in India under ‘Make in India’ initiative to cater to international demands.
• India and Afghanistan have signed an agreement for visa-free travel for diplomatic passport holders of the two countries.
• India and Brunei have signed three Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate in the fields of defence, health and youth affairs & sports.
• All 12 Pacific Rim countries have signed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement in Auckland, New Zealand making it one of the biggest trade deals in history.
• The World Health Organisation (WHO), a UN Health agency has accorded PQP (Pre-qualification of Medicines Programme) certification to Chennai based GreenSignal Bio Pharma.
Business and Economy
• Alphabet now comes before Apple atop the list of the world’s most valuable companies.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in its sixth bi-monthly monetary policy review for year 2016 has maintained status quo in key policy interest rate.
Sports
• Angelique Kerber from Germany has won the 2016 Australian Open Title of Tennis in the women’s singles category. It was her maiden Grand Slam Tennis title.
• Ace Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth won the 2016 Syed Modi International Grand prix Gold Championship Title of Badminton in men’s singles category.
• Brazilian racing driver Pietro Fittipaldi has won the 2015 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 by winning two of the four races.
• World Number One tennis player Novak Djokovic from Serbia has won the 2016 Australian Open Title in the men’s singles.
• Kerala has won the 61st National School Athletics championship which concluded in Kozhikode. With this, Kerala (host) become champions in the event for the 19th consecutive time.
• Batting great Rahul Dravid has been named in ICC’s newly appointed Anti-Corruption Oversight Group as part of the recommendation from its Integrity Working Party of the parent body.
New Appointments
• Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba took over as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of Mumbai headquartered Western Naval Command (WNC) at a ceremonial parade held at INS Shikra.
• Senior IPS officer Archana Ramasundaram was appointed Director General of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), the first woman to head a paramilitary force.
• Saroj Kumar Jha has been appointed Senior Director for the Fragility, Conflict and Violence Group in the World Bank.
• Former IAS officer D J Pandian has been appointed vice-president and chief investment officer (CIO) of Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
• Principal Adviser (Cost) Mrs. Aruna Sethi has been appointed as head of Indian Cost Accounts Service (ICoAS). With this, she becomes first lady ICoAS officer to the topmost post.
• Major General Jai Shanker Menon of India has been appointed as the Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).
• A US Senate Armed Services Committee has confirmed the nomination of General John Nicholson to the commander of the NATO forces in Afghanistan.
Awards
• Veteran wildlife filmmaker Naresh Bedi has been conferred with the V Shantaram Life Time Acheivement Award at 14th edition of 2016 Mumbai International Festival (MIFF), Mumbai.
• Indian filmmaker Kanu Behl directorial film ‘Titli’ has won the Best First Foreign Film Award conferred by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics 2016 (FSCC).
Death
• Former Army Chief General Kotikalapudi Venkata Krishna Rao, passed away in New Delhi following a cardiac arrest at the military hospital.He was 92.
• Veteran British TV and radio presenter Sir Terry Wogan passed away in London after long battle with cancer. He was 77.
• Economist and former deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) S.S. Tarapore passed away in Mumbai, Maharashtra. He was 80.
• Legendary Urdu fiction writer, novelist, columnist and poet Intizar Husain passed away in Lahore, Pakistan. He was 93.
• Former Lok Sabha Speaker Balram Jakhar passed away in New Delhi. He was 92.
• United States (US) Astronaut Edgar Mitchell passed away Lake Worth, Florida under hospice care. He was 85.
• Cartoonist Sudhir Tailang, who was suffering from a brain tumour, passed away. The artist was 55 and had been under treatment for over two years.
Current Affairs 8th February, 2016 Current Affairs Question and Answers Round Up January. Current Affairs Round up January, 2016.
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