08 February 2018 Current Affairs
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Nancy Pelosi made history of delivering longest 8 hour speech in American Senate
Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Minority Leader, delivered her speech for more than eight hours in American Senate. The House Historian’s Office confirmed the lawmaker’s record of longest speech to the media. The previous record of longest speech dates back to 1909 when a Missouri representative, Champ Clark, spoke for 5 hours and 15 minutes against a tariff overhaul. Nancy Pelosi’s speech was ended in 8 hours and 5 minutes.
MP govt launches app to spread awareness against pollution
The Madhya Pradesh government launched a mobile application “pollution metre” to spread awareness against pollution in the western part of the state. It has been developed with the help of a private firm and the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board. With the help of the app, anybody can check the status of air, water and noise pollution in their respective areas.
5th South Asia Region Public Procurement Conference held in New Delhi
The Fifth edition of South Asia Region Public Procurement Conference was held in New Delhi. It was hosted by Public Procurement Division (PPD) of Ministry of Finance and All India Management Association (AIMA). It was held under auspices of South Asia Region Public Procurement Network (SARPPN), which is sponsored and facilitated by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Islamic Development Bank. The theme this edition of the conference was “Public Procurement and Service Delivery”.
Indian princess gets Royal Mail stamp
Indian princess Sophia Alexandra Duleep Singh has been honoured with a Royal Mail stamp of the UK to mark the centenary of the suffragette movement. Sophia, the daughter of Maharaja Duleep Singh, is the only woman to have one of the eight stamps to herself. The image on the stamp shows her selling copies of a Suffragette newspaper in 1913.
Forbes releases its first-ever cryptocurrency rich list
Business magazine Forbes released its first-ever Crypto Rich List, comprising 20 wealthiest people in the cryptocurrency space. The list was topped by Ripple Co-founder Chris Larsen, who is estimated to have a crypto net worth of $7.5-8 billion. He is followed by Ethereum Co-founder Joseph Lubin ($1-5 billion) and Founder of cryptocurrency exchange Binance Changpeng Zhao ($1.1-2 billion).
Rajnath Singh releases book titled “Mere Sapnon ka Bharat”
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh released a book titled “Mere Sapnon ka Bharat”. It is a compilation of interviews of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee by Tarun Vijay, an ex-MP, at a function in New Delhi. The Home Minister described Mr Vajpayee as a distinguished personality who stands alone because of his stature. He is respected by all cutting across the political parties divides.
Dubai retains rank as World’s Busiest International Airport in 2017
Dubai International Airport has held on to its No 1 ranking as the world’s busiest airport for international travel, after seeing around 88.2 million passengers in 2017. Dubai International Airport first surpassed London Heathrow as the world’s busiest airport for international traffic in 2014. It has maintained the title ever since, with some 90 airlines flying into Dubai, a gateway for East-West travel.
Bermuda becomes first country in world to abolish same-sex marriage
Bermuda becomes the first country to legalize and then repeal same-sex marriage. Bermuda’s governor John Rankin approved a bill reversing the right of gay couples to marry, despite a supreme court ruling last year authorizing same-sex marriage.
Actor John Mahoney passes away
Actor John Mahoney passed away after brief illness in Chicago, the USA. He was 77 years old. He was well-known for playing the title character in the “Frasier” show. He worked in films for nearly 35 years. His important works are “The American President”, “Moonstruck”, “In the Line of Fire” and “Say Anything”.