Current Affairs -02 March 2021
1.Nominations for the 78th Golden Globe Awards (2021) Announced
- The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has announced the nominees for the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards. Sarah Jessica Parker, six-time Golden Globe winner, and Taraji P. Henson, Golden Globe winner, disclosed the nominees.
- For the first time in the history of the Golden Globes, the nominations were announced virtually, following the current safety measures during the COVID pandemic.
- The 78th Golden Globes was tooke place on February 28, coast to coast from 5 pm to 8 pm PT/8-11 ET on NBC. The event will be hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, returning for the fourth time, after hosting in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Fey and Poehler will share duties from their respective cities, with Fey on the East Coast and Poehler on the West Coast. Fey will be live from New York’s Rainbow Room, Poehler will be live from the Beverly Hilton, in Beverly Hills, and nominees, from various locations around the world.
2.Zero Discrimination Day 2021: 01 March
- Zero Discrimination Day 2021 aims at highlighting the urgent need to take action to end the inequalities surrounding income, sex, age, health status, occupation, disability, sexual orientation, drug use, gender identity, race, class, ethnicity and religion that are prevalent around the world.
- Zero Discrimination Day 2021 aims at ending inequalities, discrimination existing in the world, especially after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. You can be a part of ending discrimination by participating in this year's Zero Discrimination Day by shining a light on inequalities and doing your part in helping to address them.
- The United Nations has been promoting the day by organizing various campaigns and activities to celebrate an individual's right to live life with dignity and honour irrespective of their age, sex, religion, caste, colour, nationality, height, weight and profession.
3.Russia launched first Arctic-monitoring satellite to track climate changes
- Russia has successfully launched its first satellite to monitor the Arctic's climate and environment, the country's space corporation Roscosmos said in a statement.
- A Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with the "Arktika-M" satellite on board blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 9.55 a.m. on Sunday, Roscosmos said.
- The Arktika-M spacecraft was delivered to the orbit at 12.14 p.m., Xinhua news agency quoted the space corporation as further saying in the statement.
- The creation of a satellite system in highly elliptical orbits is necessary for information collection to solve operational meteorology and hydrology problems, and monitoring the climate and environment in the Arctic region, it said.
Foot Notes:
About Russia:
President: Vladimir Putin
Capital: Moscow
Currency: Russian ruble
4.Israel officially received first ever UAE ambassador
- Israel's president formally received the first-ever ambassador from the United Arab Emirates, following last year's historic agreement between the countries to normalise ties. UAE envoy Mohamed Al Khaja delivered his credentials to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin at a ceremony in Jerusalem yesterday. The UAE was the first country to agree to establish full diplomatic relations with the Jewish state under the Abraham Accords, a pact brokered by former US president Donald Trump.
- Khaja met Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi in Jerusalem, who wished him success in his historic mission.
- Israel opened its UAE embassy in January, with veteran diplomat Eitan Naeh heading the Abu Dhabi mission. Israel and the UAE have already signed treaties on direct flights and visa-free travel, along with accords on investment protection, science and technology.
Foot Notes:
About Israel:
Prime minister: Benjamin Netanyahu
Capital: Jerusalem
Currency: Israeli Shekel
President: Reuven Rivlin
About UAE:
Capital: Abu Dhabi
Currency: United Arab Emirates dirham
President: Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
5.Former France President Nicolas Sarkozy convicted of corruption
- In France, Former President Nicolas Sarkozy has been convicted of corruption.
- Judges found Sarkozy guilty of trying to bribe a judge and of influence-peddling today and sentenced him to three years in jail, with two years suspended.
- Sarkozy, who led France from 2007 to 2012, has denied any wrong-doing, saying he was the victim of a witch-hunt by financial prosecutors. He has 10 days to appeal the ruling.
Foot Notes:
About France:
President: Emmanuel Macron
Capital: Paris
Currencies: Euro, CFP franc
6.Principal Scientific Adviser to GOI launches Swachhta Saarthi Fellowship
- The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India under its Waste to Wealth Mission has launched the Swachhta Saarthi Fellowship to recognize students, community workers or Self-Help Groups, SHGs and municipal or sanitary workers who are engaged in tackling the enormous challenge of waste management, scientifically and sustainably.
- The Waste to Wealth Mission is one of the nine national missions of the Prime Minister’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council, PM-STIAC.
- Targeted to encourage community participation, the Swachhta Saarthi Fellowships invites applications from students and community workers who have done previous work or are currently engaged in waste management activities, including awareness campaigns, surveys and studies.
7.NHAI creates world record by constructing 25.54 km highway in 18 hours
- The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) completed a single lane of the four-lane stretch of 25.54 km being developed between Solapur-Vijayapur highway in 18 hours. The highway is a part of the Bengaluru-Vijayapura-Aurangabad-Gwalior corridor and this would reduce the time of travellers significantly.
- This record will be recorded in the 'Limca Book of Records’.
- About 500 contractual workers worked hard for the project.
- Currently 110 km of Solapur-Vijayapur highway is in progress which will be completed by October 2021.
Foot Notes:
About NHAI:
Founded: 1988
Headquarters: New Delhi
8.Manpreet Vohra appointed India’s High Commissioner to Australia
- Senior diplomat Manpreet Vohra has been appointed as India’s next High Commissioner to Australia, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday.
- Vohra, a 1988-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, is at present Ambassador of India to Mexico. He is expected to take up the assignment shortly, the MEA said.
- Vohra’s appointment comes at a time when the India-Australia ties are at an upswing and the two countries are stepping up cooperation particularly in the Indo-Pacific region.
Foot Notes:
About Australia:
Prime minister: Scott Morrison
Capital: Canberra
Currency: Australian Dollar
9.Virat Kohli becomes first cricketer to cross 100 million followers on Instagram
- India captain Virat Kohli has recorded another century, albeit not on the pitch this time, as he became the first cricketer in the world to have 100 million followers on social media platform Instagram.
- The 32-year-old Kohli is also the first person in the Asia-Pacific region to achieve the feat.
- Kohli is also the fourth most followed sportsperson on Instagram.
- Portugal football star Cristiano Ronaldo tops the chart with 265 million followers, ahead of Argentina football captain and FC Barcelona legend Lionel Messi and Brazil's Neymar, who are second and third in the list with 186 million and 147 million followers respectively.
- The others in 100 million club are Hollywood actor and former pro-wrestler Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson, American singer-songwriter Beyonce, and Ariana Grande.
10.BJP MP Nand Kumar Singh Chauhan passes away
- Nand Kumar Singh Chauhan, the BJP Lok Sabha member from Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh, died at a hospital in Gurugram, family sources said on Tuesday. He was 69.
- The six-term MP, who was suffering from COVID-19 and was airlifted to Medanta Hospital in Gurugram last month in a serious condition, breathed his last late Monday night, the sources said.
Foot Notes:
About MP:
Capital: Bhopal
Chief Minister: Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Governor: Anandiben Patel
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