Current Affairs, February 2020

29th February, Current Affairs:

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised its global risk assessment of the novel coronavirus to its highest level at global level after the epidemic spread to sub-Saharan Africa and caused financial markets to plunge.
• Malaysia’s King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah has appointed Muhyiddin Yassin as the new Prime Minister of Malaysia.


28th February, Current Affairs:

• National Science Day is observed today in India. The day is observed to mark the discovery of Raman Effect by Physicist C V Raman on 28th February, 1928.
• India's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 4.7 per cent in October-December.

26th February, Current Affairs:

• The death toll in China's Novel Corona virus climbed to 2,715 while the confirmed cases rose to 78,064.
• Five-time Grand Slam winner Maria Sharapova announced her retirement from professional tennis at the age of 32.

25th February, Current Affairs:

• Ten people including a policeman have been killed and over 100 injured in the violence over citizenship law protests in North East part of the Delhi.
• Former Egypt President Hosni Mubarak who was ousted in 2011 uprising, passes away at the age of 91.
• Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad resigned over political issues.
• According to the World Air Quality Report 2019 compiled by IQAir Air Visual, Ghaziabad is the most polluted city in the world, followed by Hotan in China, Gujranwala and Faisalabad in Pakistan and then Delhi in the fifth place.

24th February, Current Affairs:

• Central Excise Day is being celebrated today by Central Board of Excise and Customs all over India.
• US President Donald Trump arrives in India on a two days official visit.

21st February, Current Affairs:

• Maha Shivratri is being celebrated across the country.
• UNESCO is celebrating International Mother Language Day today. It has been observed every year since February 2000 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
• The global terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) today decided continuation of Pakistan in the 'Grey List'.

20th February, Current Affairs:

• Arunachal Pradesh is celebrating its 34th Statehood Day today.
• World champion shuttler P V Sindhu today won the ESPN's Female Sportsperson of the Year award for a third consecutive time. Wrestler Deepak Punia bagged coveted ESPN's Emerging Sports Person of the Year award.
• Divya Kakran became only the second Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Asian Wrestling Championships defeating junior world champion Naruha Matsuyuki in New Delhi.

18th February, Current Affairs:

• Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton and football superstar Lionel Messi shared the Laureus sportsman of the year award at a ceremony in Berlin. US gymnastics superstar Simone Biles, who won five titles at the 2019 world championships in Stuttgart to leave her with a record 25 world gold medals, took the Laureus sportswoman of the year award for the third time.
• Hindi is the 3rd most spoken language of the world in 2019 with 615 million speakers. The 22nd edition of the world language database Ethnologue stated English at the top of the list with 1,132 million speakers. Chines Mandarin is at the second position with 1,117 million speakers. Bangla has been ranked as the 7th most spoken language of the world. Bangla has 228 million native speakers.


17th February, Current Affairs:

• The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the Union government’s view that women are physiologically weaker than men as a “stereotype” and declared that women officers are eligible for command posts and permanent commissions in the Army irrespective of their years of service.
• The International Hockey Federation (FIH) today announced India as the hosts for 2021 junior men's World Cup.
• World rapid champion Koneru Humpy wins the Cairns Cup Chess Tournament at St Louis in USA.

16th February, Current Affairs:

• Aam Aadmi Party's Arvind Kejriwal today took oath as Chief Minister of Delhi for the third consecutive time.
• Alia Bhatt won Best Actress for her performance in Gully Boy, which also fetched Ranveer Singh and Zoya Akhtar the Best Actor and the Best Director awards in the 65th edition of the Filmfare Awards. Gully Boy also won the Best Film trophy.
• India's squash ace Joshna Chinappa has clinched 77th Senior National Championship in woman's category at the ISA courts in Chennai.

14th February, Current Affairs:

• Nation is remembering today the martyrs of Pulwama attack who made the supreme sacrifice in a dastardly terrorist attack last year.
• India and Portugal on Friday signed seven agreements to boost cooperation in a range of areas including investment, transport, ports, culture and industrial and intellectual property rights. The agreements were signed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in New Delhi.

13th February, Current Affairs:

• The World Health Organisation announced that "COVID-19" will be the official name of the deadly virus disease from China which is till now commonly known as corona virus. The "co" stands for "corona", "vi" for "virus" and "d" for "disease", while "19" was for the year, as the outbreak was first identified on December 31.
• Former TERI chief and environmentalist RK Pachauri died after a prolonged battle against heart illness at the Escorts Heart Institute in New Delhi today.
• The Indian men's hockey team captain Manpreet Singh was today named Player of the Year for 2019 by the International Hockey Federation.
• World Radio Day being observed today with theme 'Radio and Diversity'.

11th February, Current Affairs:

• Aam Aadmi Party has retained power in Delhi for the third time. The Party has won 62 seats in the 70-member Assembly elections.
• New Zealand defeated India by five wickets in the third ODI Cricket to clinched the series 3-0 at Mount Maunganui today.
• World Unani Day is celebrated today. This day is celebrated every year to mark the birth anniversary of great Unani scholar Hakim Ajmal Khan.
• The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is being observed by the United Nations today.


10th February, Current Affairs:

• Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat Campaign organised by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry began today across the country.
• Joaquin Phoenix wins the best actor trophy for his performance in "Joker" at the 92nd Academy Awards ceremony at Dolby Theatre in Los Angles, United States. Director Bong Joon Ho makes history by becoming the first Asian and South Korean filmmaker to bag the best director Oscar for the movie "Parasite". Renee Zellweger won the best actress award in Rupert Goold's “Judy”.

9th February, Current Affairs:

• Ravidas Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Sant Ravidas, is being celebrated across the country today.
• Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah became the youngest player to claim a Test hat-trick when he dismissed three Bangladesh batsmen with successive deliveries in Rawalpindi.
• Bangladesh wins the ICC Under-19 World Cup after defeating India in the final by 3 wickets at Potchefstroom, South Africa.

8th February, Current Affairs:

• Over 55 per cent voter turnout has been reported in Delhi Assembly elections.
• 11th edition of the DefExpo, a flagship biennial event of the Ministry of Defence, concluded today in Lucknow.
• In Football, Mizoram has won the final of the Junior National Football Championship for Dr BC Roy Trophy at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong. Mizoram beat Punjab 5-4 on penalties as both teams finished 1-1 in regulation and extra time.

7th February, Current Affairs:

• Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa arrived in New Delhi today on a five-day state visit to India.
• The Kerala government has withdrawn the "state calamity" status announced on Monday, due to the threat from Coronavirus after three students tested positive.

6th February, Current Affairs:

• President Ram Nath Kovind presents International Gandhi Awards for Leprosy to Dr N.S. Dharmashaktu and the Leprosy Mission Trust in New Delhi today.
• US President Donald Trump who had been impeached by the House of Representatives has been acquitted at the Senate trial. He now becomes the third President in the US history after Bill Clinton in 1999 and Andrew Johnson in 1868 to be impeached by House of Representatives and acquitted by the Senate.
• Hollywood legend and veteran actor Kirk Douglas passed away today at Beverly Hills, California in US. He was 103.


4th February, Current Affairs:

• World Cancer Day is observed today. It is observed every year to create awareness about cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment.
• India enters final after beating Pakistan by 10 wickets to enter their seventh ICC U-19 World Cup final in Potchefstroom, South Africa.

3rd February, Current Affairs:

• Madhya Pradesh bags the first position for the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana. Union Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani will present this award to Madhya Pradesh at a function in New Delhi.
• British filmmaker Sam Mendes' war drama "1917" ruled the 2020 edition of Baftas with seven wins, including best film, best British film and best director.

2nd February, Current Affairs:

• A second positive case of Novel Coronavirus has been reported in Kerala. The patient who has tested positive for the Coronavirus is in an isolation ward in a hospital.
• India beat New Zealand by 7 runs in the fifth and final T-20 International at Mount Maunganui today and completed a historic series whitewash. India have now become the 1st-ever team in men's T20I cricket to clean sweep a 5-match series.
• Jasprit Bumrah became the first bowler in T20I cricket to bowl seven maiden overs, going past Sri Lanka's Nuwan Kulasekara who had bowled six overs without conceding a run during his 58-match long career.
• Rohit Sharma went past Virat Kohli to become the only batsman with 25 scores in excess of 50 in Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket.
• Novak Djokovic defeats Dominic Thiem 6-4 4-6 2-6 6-3 6-4 to win his 8th Australian Open.

1st February, Current Affairs:

• Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget 2020-21 in Lok Sabha today. Under the new personal income tax regime, individual taxpayers will pay tax at a reduced rate of 10 percent for income between 5 lakh and 7.5 lakh rupees. For income between 7.5 lakh rupees and 10 lakh rupees, tax rate will now be 15 percent against the current 20 percent. The new tax rate will be 20 percent, down from 30 percent now for income between 10 lakh rupees and 12.5 lakh rupees. For income between 12.5 lakh rupees to 15 lakh rupees, the rax rate will be 25 percent. Income above 15 lakh rupees will continue to be taxed at 30 percent.
• American Sofia Kenin won her first Grand Slam title with victory over Spain's Garbine Muguruza at the Australian Open. Kenin won 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 against two-time major winner Muguruza in Melbourne.