Rare Disease Day

Rare Disease Day

Rare Disease Day is an observance held on the last day of February  to raise awareness for rare diseases and improve access to treatment and medical representation for individuals with rare diseases and their families.
European Organisation for Rare Diseases established this day in 2008 to raise awareness for unknown or overlooked illnesses.

According to (EURORDIS), treatment for many rare diseases is insufficient, as are the social networks to support individuals with rare diseases and their families  furthermore, while there were already numerous days dedicated to sufferers of individual disease there had previously not been a day for representing sufferers of rare diseases

In 2009 Rare Disease Day went global as National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) mobilized 200 rare disease patient advocacy organizations in the United States while organizations in China, Australia, Taiwan, and Latin America also lead efforts in their respective countries to coordinate activities and promote the day.

In addition, leading rare disease patient advocacy organizations including the Global Genes Project have joined forces to promote Rare Disease Day.

India will host Artificial Intelligence Summit ‘RAISE 2020’ in April

India will host Artificial Intelligence Summit ‘RAISE 2020’ in April

India will host RAISE 2020 an event focussed on artificial intelligence on April 11-12 in New Delhi.

RAISE (Responsible AI for Social Empowerment) 2020 will be organised by the government in partnership with industry and academia.

The summit will be a global meeting of minds to exchange ideas and charter a course to use AI for social empowerment, inclusion and transformation in key areas like healthcare, agriculture, education and smart mobility, among other sectors, an official statement said.

India and Myanmar exchange 10 agreements in various fields

India and Myanmar exchange 10 agreements in various fields

India and Myanmar today exchanged 10 agreements in various fields including infrastructure, energy, communication and health.

India is the fifth largest trading partner of Myanmar.

 Bilateral trade between these two countries has witnessed around 8 per cent growth during 2018-19 and current trade stands at 1.7 billion dollar.

Myanmar (formerly Burma) is a Southeast Asian nation of more than 100 ethnic groups, bordering India, Bangladesh, China, Laos and Thailand

President: Win Myint Trending
Capital: Naypyitaw
Currency: Burmese kyat

former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak

former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak

Muhammad Hosni El Sayed Mubarak was an Egyptian military and political leader who served as the fourth president of Egypt from 1981 to 2011.

 Before he entered politics, Mubarak was a career officer in the Egyptian Air Forc

 Egypt, country located in the northeastern corner of Africa.

Capital: Cairo
Currency: Egyptian pound

Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad resigned

Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad resigned

 Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has announced his resignation but was asked to stay on as interim leader by the country's monarch.

Mahathir bin Mohamad is a Malaysian politician who currently serves as the prime minister of Malaysia. He was appointed prime minister in 1981, retired in 2003, and returned to the office in 2018.

Malaysia is a Southeast Asian country occupying parts of the Malay Peninsula and the island of Borneo.

 capital: Kuala Lumpur
Currency: Malaysian ringgit

Russia to host new edition of AIBA World Cup 2020

Russia to host new edition of AIBA World Cup 2020

 Moscow  Russia will be the first country to host the new format of  AIBA Team World Cup in 2020.
          
 AIBA Executive committee members voted in favour to approve the  Russian bid at its meeting in Budapest.

The tournament will be coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the victory in World War II under the motto Boxing for peace

The final is scheduled for October in the city of Nizhny Novgorod.

The best national teams all over the world will take part in the edition.

The first  World Cup was conducted at the famous arena of Madison Square Garden in New York City, the USA in 1979.

 The World Cup was held from 1979 to 1998 and also in the period 2002-2006 as a team event.

The last tournament was organised in Moscow in 2008.

Riek Machar sweared in as first vice president in South Sudan

Riek Machar sweared in as first vice president in South Sudan

In South Sudan, rebel leader Riek Machar was sworn in as first vice president today.

The rebel leader returns as first vice president in a transition government which will serve for 36 months.

Four other vice presidents from the current regime and other opposition groups will also form part of a bloated government of 35 ministers, in addition to 550 lawmakers.

President Salva Kiir hailed the official ending of the war and said peace was now irreversible as the new unity government was formed after more than a year of delays.

US surpassed China to become India's top trading partner

US surpassed China to become India's top trading partner

The United States has surpassed China to become India's top trading partner. According to the Commerce Ministry data, the bilateral trade between the US and India stood at nearly 88 billion dollars in 2018-19 fiscal.

During the period, India's trade with China was at 87.1 billion dollars.

 during April-December 2019-20, the bilateral trade between the US and India stood at 68 billion dollars against a nearly 65 billion dollars trade with China in the same period.

America is one of the few countries with which India has a trade surplus. On the other hand, India has a huge trade deficit with China. In 2018-19, India has a trade surplus of 16.9 billion dollars with America, while it has a deficit of 53.6 billion dollars with  China

The data showed that China was India's top trading partner since 2013-14 till 2017-18.

India's 13-year old Grandmaster D Gukesh wins 34th Cannes Open

India's 13-year old Grandmaster D Gukesh wins 34th Cannes Open

In Chess, India's 13-year old Grandmaster D Gukesh emerged champion in the 34th Cannes Open in France.

Gukesh defeated Harutyun Bargseghyan of the host nation in the final round to end with 7.5 points.

Gukesh, who last year became the world's second youngest Grandmaster ever, beat the Frenchman in 50 moves to emerge clear winner

The Tamil Nadu player had last week won his first open tournament, bagging top honors in the Hillerod 110th Anniversary Open event in Denmark.

He remained unbeaten in the tournament and posted wins over top-seeded Chongsheng Zeng of China and Bargseghyan among others.

Two new bird species found during Great Backyard Bird count in Ladakh

Two new bird species found during Great Backyard Bird count in Ladakh

In Union Territory of Ladakh, two new bird species have been found during the Great Backyard Bird count.

The three-day exercise undertaken by the Wildlife Conservation and Birds Club of Ladakh concluded yesterday.

Red Throated Thrush and Plumbeous Water Redstart have been found for the first time in Ladakh Region.

On the other hand, Common Rose Finch and Grey Haron species have arrived in Ladakh region early than usual.

A three-group birders and wildlife experts have counted and recorded a total of 87 various species of birds in Ladakh.

Along with the count, the birders also noted various observations from place to place to conserve the bird species in Ladakh region.

The details will be recorded in the eBird India website for further studies.

India will host AFC Women's Asian Cup in 2022

India will host AFC Women's Asian Cup in 2022

India will host the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup.

The Women's Committee of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced this in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Besides India, Chinese Taipei and Uzbekistan were the other competing candidates.

The 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup will be the 20th edition of the AFC Women's Asian Cup, the quadrennial international football tournament in Asia competed by the women's national teams in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC)

The final tournament will be expanded from eight to twelve teams.

It will serve as the final stage of Asian qualification for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.

Japan are the defending champions.

former woman golfer "Mickey" Wright

Mary Kathryn "Mickey" Wright was an American professional golfer who played on the LPGA Tour.

She became a member of the tour in 1955 and won 82 LPGA Tour career events including 13 major championships.

She was a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Her haul of 13 major victories included four US Women's Open titles and four US Women's PGA Championships. 

Wright had accumulated 82 titles of Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour titles during a professional career which stretched from 1954 to 1969.

She won the 1954 World Amateur Championship before turning professional the following season

Laureus awards 2020

Laureus awards 2020

The Laureus World Sports Awards is an annual award ceremony honouring individuals and teams from the world of sports along with sporting achievements throughout the year.

 It was established in 1999 by Laureus Sport for Good Foundation founding patrons Daimler and Richemont.

   
    Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: Lewis Hamilton and Lionel Messi
   
    Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year: Simone Biles
   
    Laureus World Team of the Year: South African national men's rugby team
   
    Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year: Egan Bernal
   
    Laureus World Comeback of the Year: Sophia Florsch
   
    Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability: Oksana Masters
   
    Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year: Chloe Kim
   
    Laureus Best Sporting Moment: "On the shoulders of a nation" - Sachin Tendulkar
   
    Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award: Dirk Nowitzki
   
    Laureus Academy Exceptional Achievement Award: Spanish Basketball Federation
   
    Laureus Sport for Good Award: South Bronx United

Joshna Chinappa won 77th Senior National squash Championship

Joshna Chinappa won 77th Senior National squash Championship

India's squash ace Joshna Chinappa has clinched 77th Senior National Championship in woman's category at the ISA courts in Chennai .

With the win, she claimed her 18th title in the career. Saurav Ghosal won in Men's category bagging 13th titles to his kitty.

Chinappa defeated Tanvi Khanna, 8-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 in to add yet another national title to her record while Ghosal defeated second seed Abhishek Pradhan 11-6, 11-5, 11-6 to win the title yet again.
 

World Pangolin Day

The NINTH annual World Pangolin Day will be celebrated on 15 February 2020

World Pangolin Day is an opportunity for pangolin enthusiasts to join together in raising awareness about these unique mammals  and their plight. Pangolin numbers are rapidly declining in Asia and Africa.

the third Saturday in February is promoted as World Pangolin Day by the conservation NPO Annamiticust

Indian hockey captain Manpreet Singh named Player of the Year 2019 by IHF

Indian hockey captain Manpreet Singh named Player of the Year 2019 by IHF

The Indian men's hockey team captain Manpreet Singh was today named Player of the Year for 2019 by the International Hockey Federation.

Manpreet, a midfielder, became the first Indian to win the accolade since the awards were introduced in 1999.

He beat competition from Belgium's Arthur van Dorren and Lucas Villa of Argentina, who came second and third.

Rishi Sunak appointed as UK's new Finance Minister

Rishi Sunak appointed as UK's new Finance Minister

Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy's son-in-law, Rishi Sunak has been appointed as UK's Finance Minister.

He replaced Chancellor Sajid Javid.

After the reshuffle yesterday, three Indian origin Members of Parliament are now a part of Britain's most diverse cabinet led by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The 47-year-old Priti Patel has been appointed as the Home Minister.

The 51-year-old Alok Sharma has been appointed as the Business Secretary in the British Cabinet.

Sharma was elevated to the role of the secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy.

Along with these three, 15 Indian-origin MPs are among 65 non-whites elected to the new 650-member House of Commons, reflecting 10 percent of its strength.

oscar winners list

Best Picture

“Parasite”

Director

Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite”

Actor

Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker”

Actress

Renée Zellweger, “Judy”

Supporting Actor

Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”

Supporting Actress

Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”

Original Screenplay

“Parasite”

Adapted Screenplay

“Jojo Rabbit”

International Feature

“Parasite” (South Korea)

Animated Feature

“Toy Story 4”

Sound Editing

“Ford v Ferrari”

Visual Effects

“1917”

Film Editing

“Ford v Ferrari”

Animated Short

“Hair Love”

Live Action Short

“The Neighbors’ Window”

Documentary Short

“Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)”

Original Score

“Joker”

Original Song

“(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from “Rocketman”

Production Design

“Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”

Cinematography

“1917”

Costume Design

“Little Women”

Makeup and Hairstyling

“Bombshell”

Documentary Feature

“American Factory"

Sound Mixing

 

World Unani Day observed every year on Feb 11

World Unani Day observed every year on Feb 11

World Unani Day has observed every year on 11th February.

This day is celebrated every year to mark the birth anniversary of  Hakim Ajmal Khan.

The main objective of World Unani Day is to spread awareness about health care delivery through Unani system of medicine

The unani system of medicine originated in Greece. Its foundation was laid by Hippocrates.

India to host COP13 UN Summit on conservation of migratory birds from Feb 17

India to host COP13 UN Summit on conservation of migratory birds from Feb 17

The 13th Conference of Parties (COP) of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), an environmental treaty under the aegis of United Nations Environment Programme, is going to be hosted by India during 17 to 22 February at Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

This was announced by Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change at a press conference in New Delhi.

As the host, India shall be designated the President for the next three years.

The Government of India is Signatory to the Convention on Conservation of Migratory Wild Animals since 1983.

The theme of CMS COP13 in India is ‘Migratory species connect the planet and we welcome them home’.

The CMS COP 13 logo is inspired by ‘Kolam’, a traditional art form from southern India.

Jeff Weiner will Become Executive Chairman

Jeff Weiner  will Become Executive Chairman

LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner announced his plans to step down from the position on June 1 and become executive chairman.

Ryan Roslansky, LinkedIn’s senior vice president of product, will succeed Weiner as CEO at the Microsoft-owned company.

Jeffrey "Jeff" Weiner is an American businessman. He was the chief executive officer of LinkedIn, a business-related social networking website.

He started with LinkedIn on December 15, 2008, as Interim President.

Weiner played an instrumental role in LinkedIn's acquisition by Microsoft for $26 billion in June 2016.

LinkedIn is an American business and employment-oriented service that operates via websites and mobile apps.

Founded on December 28, 2002, and launched on May 5, 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking, including employers posting jobs and job seekers posting their CV

World Bank chief economist announces resignation

World Bank chief economist announces resignation

World Bank chief economist Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg on Wednesday announced she will be leaving the institution

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

 research director Aart Kraay would take over until a new permanent chief economist is hired.

A Greek-American national, Goldberg took up her post at the end of April 2018

A graduate of University of Freiburg in Germany and Stanford University in the United States, Goldberg was the first editor in chief of the American Economic Review and taught economics at Yale before joining the bank.

US Prez Donald Trump acquitted of all impeachment charges

US Prez Donald Trump acquitted of all impeachment charges

The United States President Donald Trump has been acquitted of all impeachment charges.

The US Senate has acquitted President Trump on two articles of impeachment that are- abuse of power and obstruction to Congress.

The Republican-majority Senate voted 52-48 to acquit him of abuse of power and 53-47 to acquit him of obstruction of Congress.

 Democrats required two-thirds of votes in the 100-member House to impeach the president. The ruling Republican party has 53 seats while the Democrats have 47.

Republican Senator Mitt Romney, who was the party's presidential nominee in 2012, voted against the president on the first charge, but followed the party line on the second article of impeachment. Rest of the members voted on party lines. 

Hollywood veteran actor Kirk Douglas

Hollywood veteran actor Kirk Douglas

Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor, producer, director, philanthropist and writer.

Douglas was prolific as a film actor, with more than 90 credits to his name - ranging over six decades from the 1940s to the 2000s.

As an actor and philanthropist, Douglas received three Academy Award nominations, an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

As an author, he wrote ten novels and memoirs.

He is No. 17 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male screen legends of classic Hollywood cinema,

Albin Kurti Appointed New Prime Minister of Kosovo

Albin Kurti Appointed New Prime Minister of Kosovo

Albin Kurti is a Kosovar politician and activist, who is serving as the fourth Prime Minister of Kosovo since 3 February 2020.

 Kurti is also the leader of the political movement and party, Vetëvendosje.

Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a partially-recognized state in Southeastern Europe, subject to a territorial dispute with the Republic of Serbia. 

Capital: Prishtina

Recognised regional languages: Bosnian; Turkish; Romani

Currency: Euro

World Cancer Day

World Cancer Day

World Cancer Day is observed on the 4th of February every year to create awareness about cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally.

World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that cancer cases will rise by 81 percent in low and middle-income countries by 2040 because of a lack of investment in prevention and care. It said, these countries have focused their limited resources on combating infectious diseases and improving maternal and child health instead of fighting cancer.

WHO said, they often had the highest cancer mortality too.
   
 'I Am and I Will' is the Theme for 2020

Australian Open 2020

The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually over the last fortnight of January in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.

The 2020 Australian Open was a Grand Slam tennis tournament that took place at Melbourne Park, from 20 January to 2 February 2020. It was the 108th edition of the Australian Open, the 52nd in the Open Era, and the first Grand Slam of the year. The tournament consisted of events for professional players in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. Junior and wheelchair players competed in singles and doubles tournaments.

Men's Singles
Serbia Novak Djokovic defeated Austria Dominic Thiem, 6–4, 4–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4

Women's Singles
United States Sofia Kenin defeated Spain Garbiñe Muguruza, 4–6, 6–2, 6–2

Men's Doubles
United States Rajeev Ram / United Kingdom Joe Salisbury defeated Australia Max Purcell / Australia Luke Saville, 6–4, 6–2

Women's Doubles
Hungary Tímea Babos / France Kristina Mladenovic defeated Chinese Taipei Hsieh Su-wei / Czech Republic Barbora Strýcová, 6–2, 6–1

Mixed Doubles
Czech Republic Barbora Krejčiková / Croatia Nikola Mektić defeated United States Bethanie Mattek-Sands / United Kingdom Jamie Murray, 5–7, 6–4, [10–1]

Arvind Krishna appointed CEO of IBM

Arvind Krishna appointed CEO of IBM

Indian-origin Arvind Krishna has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of American IT giant IBM, succeeding Ginni Rometty.
Arvind Krishna is an IIT-Kanpur graduate. He has done PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urban-Champaign.

He is the co-author of 15 patents, has been the editor of IEEE and ACM journals, and has published extensively in technical conferences and journals.

Krishna's appointment as head of IBM adds to the growing list of Indian-origin executives at the helm of some of the biggest multinational companies. Krishna joins the club that includes Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga, PepsiCo's former CEO Indra Nooyi and Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen.

The International Business Machines Corporation is an American multinational information technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, with operations in over 170 countries.

Founder: Charles Ranlett Flint
Headquarters: Armonk, New York, United States

International Children’s Film Festival ends in Dhaka

International Children’s Film Festival ends in Dhaka

The 13th International Children’s Film Festival of Bangladesh concluded on Friday in Dhaka with an award giving ceremony in which 11 awards were conferred in various categories

The Best Feature Film award in the international section was given to the Dutch film Romy’s Salon, directed by Mischa Kamp.

The film tells the story of a child Romy who visits her grandmother in her Salon suffering from dementia.

The jury for the International Competitive Film section included Syed Salahuddin Zaki, Shameem Akhter and Shabnam Firdausi.

The Finnish director Merja Maijanen bagged the best director award for her film Good Girl.

German film Day X, directed by Katharina Rivilis won the Best Short Film Award.

The Bangladeshi director Ragib Mahmud Shafayet Shah got the Young Talent Award for his film The Smoker while Sudipto Shah won the Social Film Award for his film Khoka Jokhon Chhotto Chhilen.

A total of 179 films from 39 countries were screened at five venues in Dhaka during the Children’s Film Festival which started on 24th January.