29 February 2020 - Daily Current Affairs
1. Michael Miebach appointed as new CEO of Mastercard
- Michael Miebach has been appointed as the new CEO (Chief executive officer) of Mastercard.
- Michael Miebach will replace Ajay Banga (on March 01, 2020) who held the position for 10 years.
- Mr. Miebach was the Chief Product Officer of Mastercard before this.
National Affairs
2. Prime Minister lays foundation stone for Bundelkhand Expressway
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Bundelkhand Expressway at Chitrakoot, UP.
- The Expressway will be supplementing the nodes of the Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor announced by the GoI in February 2018.
- This expressway will link the Bundelkhand area to the national capital Delhi through Agra-Lucknow expressway and Yamuna expressway as well as play a vital role in the development of Bundelkhand region.
Defense
3. Offshore Patrol Vessel-6 “VAJRA” is launched at Chennai
- The sixth offshore patrol vessel 'Yard 45006 VAJRA' to enhance coastal security was formally launched at Chennai.
- The vessel, built by L&T under the 'Make in India' campaign, would be used for day and night patrolling.
- The vessel is 98 metres long and 15 metres wide with a gross tonnage of 2,100 tonnes.
- The ship would be fitted with CRN-91 and 12.7 mm guns and an integral twin-engine helicopter enhancing its operational, surveillance, search and rescue capability.
International Affairs
4. High Court Bans two books for hurting religious sentiments in Bangladesh
- The High Court of Bangladesh banned two books for hurting religious sentiment and infringing individual freedom.
- The books Dia Arefin and Nanir Bani are written by the blogger Diarsi Arag were published by Srishtighar Prokashana in Bangladesh.
- The court ordered the authorities to ban the publication, sale, distribution and marketing of two books with immediate effect.
Obituaries
5. Renowned Vedic Scholar Sudhakar Chaturvedi passes away
- Renowned Vedic Scholar and Gandhian Sudhakar Chaturvedi passed.
- The centenarian was given the title Chaturvedi for his mastery over the four Vedas.
- Deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and Arya Samaj movement, he handed over 50 spiritual books in four languages.
- He had spent his last few years teaching Vedas to young enthusiasts.
Summits & Conferences
6. 11th National Krishi Vigyan Kendra Conference 2020 started in New Delhi
- The Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Narendra Tomar inaugurated the 11thNational Krishi Vigyan Kendra Conference -2020 in New Delhi.
- The conference is on ‘Empowering Youth for Technology Led Farming’.
- The conference is being organized by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
- The conference aimed to highlight the technology-led farming and youth entrepreneurship via agriculture.
Important Dates
7. World Rare Disease Day celebrated today
- Every Year on the last day of February is observed as World Rare Disease Day.
- The theme of the day this year is ‘Reframe Rare for Rare Disease Day’
- It was first launched by Eurordis in 2008.
- Its objective is to create awareness about the impacts of the disease.
- The rare diseases include Thalassemia, Haemophilia, Sickle Cell Anaemia and primary immune deficiency according to WHO.
Obituaries
8. The world’s oldest man passes away in Japan at 112
- The world’s oldest person, Chitetsu Watanabe of Japan passed away at 112.
- He was born in 1907 when Japan’s average life expectancy hovered around 40 years.
- Less than two weeks before his death, Guinness World Records recognized Watanabe as the world’s oldest man at 112 years and 344 days old
Banking & Finance
9. HDFC Bank launches co-branded credit card with IndiGo
- HDFC Bank joined hands with the country's largest airline IndiGo to launch a co-branded credit card.
- Powered by the Mastercard, the card will effectively work like a loyalty programme for the carrier.
- Labelled Ka-ching, the card will offer complimentary air tickets, lounge access, 5 per cent cashback on Indigo bookings.
- With over 14 million active cards, HDFC Bank is by far the largest credit card issuer in the country.
National Affairs
10. Mumbai airport launches terminal for storing agro, pharma products
- The Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) has launched an exclusive terminal for processing and storage of agro and pharma products.
- Known as the world's largest airport-based temperature-controlled facility, the 'Export Cold Zone' can hold over 700 tonnes of such cargo at one time with a combined annual capacity of 5.25 lakh tonnes.
- Mumbai airport, run by a joint venture between Airports Authority of India and GVK.
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