Monthly Current Affairs Quiz - February, 2018

Notes:
Google has launched new online security campaign #SecurityCheckKiya in India to promote security awareness among general public. The purpose of the campaign is to protect young and first-time web users from account hijacking, safeguard Android devices from malicious apps and secure all their personal data if they lose their device. Under the campaign, Google recommended three simple steps for Internet safety. It includes reviewing security settings and Google account activity. Furthermore, ‘Google Play Protect’ service scans and checks Android devices for any harmful apps. Find My Device app from Google helps a user to easily long away.

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Shabnam Asthana, an Indian public relations expert, speaker, and entrepreneur, has been honoured with the ‘Times Power Women of the Year 2017’- Pune for Global PR. The Times Group recently celebrated the invaluable contribution of women by introducing The Times Power Woman 2017 (Pune) awards. These awards were initiated to celebrate the victories of women who have been a great source of inspiration. These awards focused on the women of Pune and the prestigious list included 34 select women with power, supremacy, command and control. These awardees have been instrumental in working towards the improvement of the socio-economic, art, health, education, and fashion, scientific and intellectual potential of the society.

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Bermuda has become the world’s first country to legalise and then repeal same-sex marriage. The governor of the British island territory John Rankin approved a bill reversing the right of gay couples to marry, despite 2017 Supreme Court ruling that authorized same-sex marriage. It is a step towards seeking to balance opposition to same-sex marriage on the socially conservative island while complying with European court rulings that make sure same-sex couples are recognized and protected in the territory.

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Jhulan Goswami, India’s veteran pacer, has become the first female cricketer in the world to take 200 wickets in One-Day Internationals (ODI) cricket. She achieved the feat when she bagged the wicket of South Africa opener Laura Wolvaardt during the 2nd ODI of the 3-match series at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley. Beside her, Australia’s Cathryn Fitzpatrick is at 2nd spot with 180 wickets followed by compatriot Lisa Sthalekar on 146. India’s Neetu David occupies the fifth spot with 141 wickets. Interestingly, the first male cricketer to pick 200 ODI wickets was also an Indian – the great Kapil Dev.

Notes:
As per Prime Minister’s Research Fellows scheme, the Union Government will give fellowships to 1,000 meritorious students of B. Tech and M. Tech every year. The fellowship amount will be Rs. 70 to 80 thousand per month. Apart from this, a research grant of Rs. two lakh will be provided to each of the fellows for a period of five years. Under the scheme, the best students, who have completed or are in the final year of B. Tech or Integrated M.Tech or M.Sc. in Science and Technology streams from IISc/IITs/NITs/IISERs/IIITs, will be offered direct admission in PhD programme in the IITs/IISc.

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John Mahoney (77), an English-American actor of stage, film and television, has passed away in Chicago, United States on February 4, 2018. He was best known for playing the blue-collar patriarch Martin Crane in the American sitcom Frasier, which aired on NBC from 1993 to 2004. In addition to his film and television work, Mahoney also worked as a voice actor and was particularly passionate about his stage work on Broadway and in Chicago theatre. He was born in UK but he got US citizenship in 1959.

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The 6th edition of World Government Summit (WGS) 2018 will be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) from February 11 to 13. The Indian delegation will be led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The summit acts as a knowledge exchangehub between government officials, thought leaders, policy makers and private sector leaders, and as an analysis platform for the future trends, issues and opportunities facing humanity.

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Haryana has topped the overall medal tally at the first-ever Khelo India School Games (KISG-2018) in New Delhi after winning the 102 medals which include 38 gold and 26 silver. Maharashtra has acquired the 2nd position with 111 medals while Delhi with 94 medals came third. The Khelo India School Games was a part of the Khelo India programme which has been introduced by the Union Sports Ministry to revive the sports culture in the country at the grassroots level and make India a sporting nation. The 16 sports disciplines including Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Football, Hockey, Judo, Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, Shooting, Weightlifting and Wrestling were the part of the weeklong event. It was organized at multiple venues across Delhi including Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.

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Kerala has topped the list of larger states on overall health performance in the Health Index report released by Niti Aayog while Uttar Pradesh appeared at the bottom among larger states in terms of overall performance. As per the index “Healthy States, Progressive India’ report for large states, Kerala was followed by Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. Besides Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Odisha are among the states that performed poorly in the health index. Among small states, Mizoram ranked first, followed by Manipur and Goa in terms of annual incremental performance. The Health Index will act as a tool to leverage cooperative and competitive federalism, accelerating the pace of achieving health outcomes. It has been evolved through comprehensive study and inputs from World Bank India and Ministry of Health.

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Indra Nooyi, the PepsiCo Chairman and CEO, has been appointed to the International Cricket Council (ICC) Board as its first independent female director. She will join the Board in June 2018 to align with the term of the ICC Independent Chairman. The Independent Director will be appointed for a two-year term although she may be re-appointed for two further terms with a maximum six-year consecutive period of service.