IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 8th, 2020

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY  8th, 2020

Nepal to count LGBT population in census for first time
Nepal’s upcoming national census will for the first time count the LGBT population in the Himalayan nation in order to better allocate government jobs and education set aside for minority groups.

1)     The LGBT community in Nepal has long demanded that the census taken every 10 years include a count of sexual minorities.

2)     The exact population of LGBT would help determine how much of the quota in these jobs and education will go to them.

3)     Citizens will be able to identify themselves as male, female or other sexual gender.

4)     A new constitution adopted in 2015 forbids all discrimination based on sexual orientation, reaffirming a 2008 Supreme Court ruling.

US forces kill al-Qaeda leader Qasim al-Rimi
United States President Donald Trump has confirmed that in a major counter terrorism operation in Yemen the US forces have killed al-Qaeda leader Qasim al-Rimi.

1)     He was the founder of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, AQAP.

2)     The AQAP has long been considered al-Qaeda's most dangerous branch for its attempts to carry out attacks on the US mainland.

3)     This is the third major strike by the US under Trump Administration in recent months.

4)     In October, the US killed ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In January, it killed top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.

Prince Charles unveils children's protection fund for India
Britain's Prince Charles has unveiled a new children's protection fund for India as part of British Asian Trust, the charity founded by him in 2007 to fight poverty in South Asia.

1)     Popular American singer Katy Perry will be the ambassador of the new fund, which will be focussed on reducing the exploitation of children by 50 per cent in India over 10 years.

2)     Indian philanthropist Natasha Poonawalla has made a multimillion-pound pledge in support of the fund.

3)     The main areas of focus for the British Asian Trust's Children's Protection Fund will cover child sexual abuse, child labour and trafficking, and its aim would be to develop school safety nets through child-friendly village models.

Vietnam's Vice President to visit India from 11th February
Vice President of Vietnam Dang Thai Ngoc Thinh would be on an official visit to India from 11th to 13th of this month.

1)     She will hold delegation-level talks with Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and call on President Ram Nath Kovind.

2)     During the visit, the direct flight between India and Vietnam would be announced.

3)     The visiting dignitary is also scheduled to visit Bodh Gaya.

HAL signs MoU with Elbit Systems for digital head-up displays for fighter planes
Hindustan Aeronautics signed an MoU with Israel-based defense electronics company Elbit Systems during the ongoing DefExpo 2020 for promoting and marketing the Digital Head Up Displays (HUD) units.

1)     A head-up display (HUD) is a transparent display that gives a pilot a seamless view of critical information.

2)     This information is projected directly in the pilot's line of sight on a screen just inside the windshield, allowing them to keep their visual attention focused outside the aircraft.

3)     The MoU envisages extending cooperation for new HUD technologies and promoting Digital HUD to the Indian Defence Services and other potential customers.

4)     The digital HUD would incorporate new features like Wide Instantaneous and Total Field of View with Minimal Binocular Disparity, Large Eye Motion Box and Digital Image Source for increased pilot’s situational awareness. The HUD system is also compatible with Night Vision Imaging Systems having improved maintenance features.

MP govt to use drones for mapping villages
In Madhya Pradesh, the state government has decided to use drones for mapping villages.

1)     So far, land survey work is being done either manually or with the help of satellite images in Madhya Pradesh.

2)     55 thousand villages of the state have been selected for mapping.

3)     The map of the population area will be made on a scale of 1: 500, which will give a clearer picture of the population area.

Govt has set target of installation of 100 GigaWatt solar power by Dec 2022
The Government has set a target of installation of 100 GigaWatt solar power and 60 GigaWatt wind power capacity in the country by December 2022 by implementing various schemes.

1)     Majority of solar power projects are installed with private investments.

2)     Grid connected solar power capacity of over 33 thousand seven hundred megawatt has been installed in the country till 31st December last year.

3)     Over 37 thousand five hundred megawatt of wind power was also installed till the end of last year.

PM Modi sets target of 5 billion dollars for defence exports in next five years
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that his government has set a defence export target of 5 billion dollars in the next five years.

1)     The export of defence equipment from India was about 2,000 crore rupees. In the last 2 years, it has gone up to 17,000 crore rupees.

2)     The eleventh edition of the mega defence event is being held in Lucknow with the theme "India: The Emerging Defence Manufacturing Hub".

3)     The five-day DefExpo is being attended by 38 defence ministers and top executives of 172 foreign defence majors and 856 Indian companies.

World Bank chief economist Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg, announces resignation
World Bank chief economist Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg on announced she will be leaving the institution.

1)     She will step down from her post on March 1 to return to teaching at Yale University.

2)     Research director Aart Kraay would take over for Goldberg until a new permanent chief economist is hired.

3)     A Greek-American national, Goldberg took up her post at the end of April 2018, after the resignation of Paul Romer following a controversy over the World Bank's statistical methods.

Mizoram win Junior National Football Championship for Dr BC Roy Trophy
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.

1)     Mizoram beat Punjab 5-4 on penalties as both teams finished 1-1 in regulation and extra time.

2)     It was the fourth time in five years that the two teams met in the final of the Under -17 tournament with Punjab winning the trophy in 2015-16 and 2016-17.

3)     Last year Mizoram reversed the tide and defeated Punjab in the final 2-1.