when is World NGO Day 2019 celebrated?

when is World NGO Day 2019 celebrated?

Options

1) 27  February


1) 26  February


1) 25  February


1) 24  February

answer

1) 27  February


Other details

World NGO Day is an international calendar day annually observed on the 27th of February.

Officially recognized and declared by the 12 member countries of the IX Baltic Sea NGO Forum of the Council of the Baltic Sea States in 2010 and first time marked by the UN,  EU leaders and international organizations in 2014

PepsiCo’s former CEO Indra Nooyi joined Board of Directors of which company?

PepsiCo’s former CEO Indra Nooyi joined  Board of Directors of which company?

Options

1) Amazon

2)Google

3)Microsoft

4)Facebook

answer

1) Amazon


Other details

PepsiCo's India-born former CEO Indra Nooyi has joined Amazon's board of directors, the online retail giant has said.

Nooyi, who stepped down as CEO of Pepsico in October last year

Early this month, Starbucks executive Rosalind Brewer joined the Amazon Board.

  Nooyi would be a member of the audit committee.

She was Pepsico CEO from October 2006 to October 2018, where she also served as the Chairman of its board of directors from May 2007 to February 2019.

She was elected to PepsiCo's board of directors and became its President and Chief Financial Officer in 2001, and held leadership roles in finance, corporate strategy and development, and strategic planning after joining PepsiCo in 1994.

Nooyi has served as a director of Schlumberger Limited since April 2015.

2019 Oscar Winners

2019 Oscar Winners

Best Picture: “Green Book”

Director: Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma”

Actor: Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Actress: Olivia Colman, “The Favourite”

Supporting Actor: Mahershala Ali, “Green Book”

Supporting Actress: Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk”

Original Screenplay: “Green Book”

Adapted Screenplay: “BlackKklansman”

Foreign Language Film: “Roma”

Animated Feature: “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”

Sound Editing: “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Visual Effects: “First Man”

Film Editing: “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Animated Short: “Bao”

Live Action Short: “Skin”

Documentary Short: “Period. End of Sentence.”

Original Score: “Black Panther”

Original Song: “Shallow” from “A Star Is Born”

Production Design: “Black Panther”

Cinematography: “Roma”


Costume Design: “Black Panther”

Makeup and Hairstyling: “Vice”

Documentary Feature: “Free Solo”

Sound Mixing: “Bohemian Rhapsody”

which country announced three-day annual navy drill from Friday in a vast area of the Gulf and the Indian Ocean?

which country announced three-day annual navy drill from Friday in a vast area of the Gulf and the Indian Ocean?

Options

1) Iran

2)saudi arabia

3)UAE

4)none of the above

answer

1) Iran


Other details

Iran will launch a three-day annual navy drill from Friday in a vast area of the Gulf and the Indian Ocean

The drill will be held in the waters of Strait of Hormuz, Makran coast, Oman Sea and the north of the Indian Ocean, covering 2 million square kilometres and going on for three days

named  as "Velayat 97," the drill will showcase Iran's submarines, warships, helicopters and drones,

which country became the first team from Asia to win a Test series in South Africa?

 which country became the first team from Asia to win a Test series in South Africa?


Options

1) Sri Lanka

2)India

3)Bangladesh

4)Afghanistan

answer

1) Sri Lanka


Other details

Sri Lanka defeated South Africa by 8 wickets in the second Test at Port Elizabeth on Saturday to clinch a historic 2-0 Test series win.

With this victory, they also became the first team from Asia to win a Test series in South Africa.

Sri Lanka's series win is one of the biggest upsets in recent cricket history.

South Africa had won their previous seven series at home and had won 16 out of 19 home Tests.

 Sri Lanka, by contrast, had lost six and drawn one of their previous seven Tests before arriving in South Africa.

 

Which country declared year-long state of emergency?

Which country declared year-long state of emergency?

Options

1) Sudan

2)Egypt

3)Ethiopia

4)Eritrea

answer

1) Sudan


Other details

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has declared a year-long state of emergency, dissolving the cabinet and local governments throughout the country.


 Sudan's parliament will postpone constitutional amendments that would allow president to particiapate for another term in a presidential election in 2020.

president's term ends in 2020

 

Which country unveiled world’s first female AI news anchor?

Which country unveiled  world’s first female AI news anchor?

Options

1) china

2)Japan

3)Russia

4)France

answer

1) china


Other details

 China’s state-owned TV channel Xinhua unveiled the world’s first ever artificial intelligence (AI) female news anchor

In November 2018, China introduced the world’s first male AI news anchor, Qiu Hao, that can mimic human facial expressions and mannerisms while reading out reports.

when is International Mother Language Day celebrated?

when is International Mother Language Day celebrated?

Options

1) 21  February

2)22  February

3)23  February

4)24  February

answer

1) 21  February

Other details

International Mother Language Day is being celebrated today.

The day is observed on the 21st of February every year to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.

Since 2019 is also the International Year of Indigenous Languages,
the theme of this year’s Mother Language Day is Indigenous Languages as a factor in development, peace and reconciliation.

At least 43 per cent of the estimated 6000 languages spoken in the world are endangered.

Only a few hundred languages have genuinely been given a place in education systems and the public domain.

 According to UN data, a language disappears every two weeks taking with it an entire cultural and intellectual heritage.

UNESCO has been celebrating International Mother Language Day for nearly 20 years with the aim of preserving this linguistic diversity and promoting mother tongue-based multilingual education.

Progress is being made in this direction with a growing understanding of its importance, particularly in early schooling. 

Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Otto Lagerfeld was a German creative director, fashion designer, artist, photographer and caricaturist who lived in Paris.

He was known as the creative director of the French fashion house Chanel, a position he held from 1983 until 2019, and was also creative director of the Italian fur and leather goods fashion house Fendi, and of his own eponymous fashion label.

He collaborated on a variety of fashion and art-related projects.

Israel will launch its first moon mission this week

Israel will launch its first moon mission this week

Israel is to launch its first moon mission this week, sending an unmanned spacecraftto collect data to be shared with NASA.

Accordingto a report, the 585-kilogram Beresheet (Genesis) spacecraft is to lift off atopa Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida at around 0145 GMT on Friday.Mission control will be in Yehud, near Tel Aviv.


So far only Russia, the United States and China have sent their spacecraft to themoon

The Chinese spacecraft made the first ever soft landing on the far sideof the moon on January 3.

Indian-origin global negotiator appointed director of renowned academic institution in South Africa

Indian-origin global negotiator appointed director of renowned academic institution in South Africa

An Indian-origin global negotiator has been appointed as the director of a renowned academic institution in South Africa.

Professor Faizel Ismail will take charge as the director of the University of Cape Town's (UCT) Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance from Professor Alan Hirsch in July.

Ismail is known for his role in negotiating major agreements for South Africa, including with the Southern African Customs Union as well as the Trade and Development Agreement with the European Union.

Ismail, a professor at the UCT's School of Economics, has in the past served as an ambassador to the World Trade Organisation and a senior advisor to the Minister of Trade and Industry.

World Pangolin Day 2019

World Pangolin Day 2019

The EIGHTH annual World Pangolin Day was celebrated on 16 February 2019

World Pangolin Day is an opportunity  to  raise awareness about these unique mammals — and their plight.

Pangolin numbers are rapidly declining in Asia and Africa.





There are eight species of pangolin: Four Asian species and four African species

US will declare national emergency to build US-Mexico border wall

US will declare national emergency to build US-Mexico border wall

US  will sign the government funding bill, and as it has stated before, it will also take other executive action - including a national emergency - to ensure we stop the national security and humanitarian crisis at the border

US will sign an executive order declaring a national emergency, which will empower it to fund the construction of a massive wall along the US-Mexico border to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the country and curb drug smuggling.

The move would help get USD 5.6 billion for the construction of the wall

William Barr sworn in as US Attorney General

William Barr sworn in as US Attorney General

In United States, William Barr was sworn for second time as the nation’s Attorney General, taking the helm of the Justice Department

the Senate voted 54-45 to confirm his appointment. Mr. Barr,

Barr also served as the Attorney General from 1991 to 1993 during President George H.W. Bush’s administration

he takes place of  Jeff Sessions.

World Radio Day

World Radio Day

World Radio Day is an observance day held annually on 13 February to celebrate radio as a medium.

It was proclaimed on 3 November 2011 by UNESCO's 36th General Conference after originally being proposed by the Kingdom of Spain.

The day is observed every year on the 13th of February to celebrate radio as a forum for information and entertainment, as a bridge of communication for remote communities and its role in empowering people.

The theme of this year's World Radio Day is Dialogue, Tolerance and Peace Broadcasts that provide a platform for dialogue and democratic debate over issues, such as migration or violence against women, can help to raise awareness among listeners and inspire understanding for new perspectives in paving the way for positive action.

EU members of UNSC asked for humanitarian access to eastern Ukraine's area

EU members of UNSC asked for humanitarian access to eastern Ukraine's area

European Union members of the UN Security Council have asked for humanitarian access to eastern Ukraine's areas held by separatists.


The countries said in a statement, some 3.5 million people require humanitarian aid and protection due to widespread mine contamination, escalating psychological trauma and lack of access to basic services.


They urged all parties to the conflict, to re-establish full access for all international humanitarian organizations to the non-government-controlled areas and allow speedy delivery of humanitarian assistance.


The statement was read to reporters by Jonathan Allen, Britain's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, on behalf of the eight EU countries including Britain, France, Germany and Sweden.

US team in Beijing for trade talks

US team in Beijing for trade talks

US negotiators met their Chinese counterparts in Beijing on Monday for a new round of high-stakes trade talks, hoping to reach a deal before the March 1 deadline set by US in the backdrop of the IMF warning

The talks will include officials from the agriculture, energy and commerce departments.


In December, Washington suspended for three months its plan to increase tariffs on USD 200 billion worth of Chinese imports to 25 per cent from the current 10 per cent to allow time for negotiators to work out a trade spat.


Washington is demanding far-reaching changes from China to address commercial practices.

US says, practices which China is using, are deeply unfair, including theft of American intellectual property.


China has offered to boost its purchases of US goods during the truce, but is likely to resist calls for structural changes to its industrial policy including slashing government subsidies.

Grammy Awards 2019

Grammy Awards 2019


Song Of The Year: This is America - Childish Gambino
Best Country Album: Golden Hour - Kacey Musgraves
Best Pop Solo Performance: Joanne (Where Do You Think You're Goin'?) - Lady Gaga
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: Shallow - Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: My Way - Willie Nelson
Best Pop Vocal Album: Sweetener - Ariana Grande
Best Dance Recording: Electricity - Silk City & Dua Lipa Featuring Diplo & Mark Ronson
Best Dance/Electronic Album: Woman Worldwide – Justice
Best Contemporary Instrumental Album: Steve Gadd Band - Steve Gadd Band
Best Rock Performance: When Bad Does Good - Chris Cornell
Best Metal Performance: Electric Messiah - High On Fire
Best Rock Song: Masseduction - St. Vincent
Best Rock Album: From The Fires - Greta Van Fleet
Best Alternative Music Album: Colors – Beck
Best R&B Performance: Best Part - H.E.R. Featuring Daniel Caesar
Best Traditional R&B Performance: Bet Ain't Worth The Hand - Leon Bridges (TIED WITH) How Deep Is Your Love - PJ Morton Featuring Yebba
Best R&B Song: Boo'd Up - Ella Mai
Best Urban Contemporary Album: Everything Is Love - The Carters
Best Rap Performance: King's Dead - Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future & James Blake (TIED WITH) Bubblin - Anderson .Paak
Best Rap/Sung Performance: This Is America - Childish Gambino
Best Country Solo Performance: Butterflies - Kacey Musgraves
Best Country Duo/Group Performance: Tequila - Dan + Shay
Best Country Song: Space Cowboy - Kacey Musgraves
Best New Age Album: Opium Moon - Opium Moon
Best Improvised Jazz Solo: Don't Fence Me In - John Daversa Big Band Featuring DACA Artists
Best Jazz Vocal Album: The Window - Cécile McLorin Salvant
Best Jazz Instrumental Album: Emanon - The Wayne Shorter Quartet
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album: American Dreamers: Voices Of Hope, Music Of Freedom - John Daversa Big Band Featuring DACA Artists
Best Latin Jazz Album: Back To The Sunset - Dafnis Prieto Big Band
Best Gospel Performance/Song: Never Alone - Tori Kelly Featuring Kirk Franklin; Kirk Franklin & Victoria Kelly, songwriters
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song: You Say - Lauren Daigle; Lauren Daigle, Jason Ingram & Paul Mabury, songwriters
Best Gospel Album: Hiding Place - Tori Kelly
Best Contemporary Christian Music Album: Look Up Child - Lauren Daigle
Best Roots Gospel Album: Unexpected - Jason Crabb
Best Latin Pop Album: Sincera - Claudia Brant
Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album: Aztlán – Zoé
Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano): ¡México Por Siempre! - Luis Miguel
Best Tropical Latin Album: Anniversary - Spanish Harlem Orchestra
Best American Roots Performance: The Joke - Brandi Carlile
Best American Roots Song: The Joke - Brandi Carlile
Best Americana Album: By The Way, I Forgive You - Brandi Carlile
Best Bluegrass Album: The Travelin' Mccourys - The Travelin' McCourys
Best Traditional Blues Album: The Blues Is Alive And Well - Buddy Guy
Best Music Film: Quincy - Quincy Jones, Alan Hicks & Rashida Jones
Best Music Video: This is America - Childish Gambino
Best Spoken Word Album: Faith - A Journey For All: Jimmy Carter
Best Comedy Album: Equanimity & The Bird Revelation - Dave Chappelle
Best Children's Album: All The Sounds - Lucy Kalantari & The Jazz Cats
Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media: The Greatest Showman - Hugh Jackman (& Various Artists)
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media: Black Panther - Ludwig Göransson
Best Song Written For Visual Media: Shallow - Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
Best Contemporary Blues Album: Please Don't Be Dead - Fantastic Negrito
Best Folk Album: All Ashore - Punch Brothers
Best Regional Roots Music Album: No 'Ane'I Kalani Pe'a
Best Reggae Album: 44/876Sting & Shaggy
Best World Music Album: Freedom - Soweto Gospel Choir
Best Musical Theater Album: The Band's Visit - Etai Benson, Adam Kantor, Katrina Lenk & Ari'el Stachel
Best Instrumental Composition: Blut Und Boden (Blood And Soil) - Terence Blanchard
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella: Stars And Stripes Forever - John Daversa
Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals: Spiderman Theme - Mark Kibble, Randy Waldman & Justin Wilson
Best Recording Package: Masseduction - Willo Perron, art director (St. Vincent)
Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package: Squeeze Box: The Complete Works Of "Weird Al" Yankovic - Meghan Foley, Annie Stoll & Al Yankovic
Best Historical Album: Voices Of Mississippi: Artists And Musicians Documented By William Ferris
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical: Colors - Beck
Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical: Pharrell Williams
Best Immersive Audio Album: Eye In The Sky - 35th Anniversary Edition - Alan Parsons
Best Remixed Recording: Walking Away (Mura Masa Remix) - Alex Crossan, remixer (Haim)
Best Album Note: Voices Of Mississippi: Artists And Musicians Documented By William Ferris - David Evans
Best Contemporary Classical Composition: Kernis: Violin Concerto - Aaron Jay Kernis
Best Classical Compendium: Fuchs: Piano Concerto

Earth's north magnetic pole is drifting

Earth's north magnetic pole is drifting

Scientists have found that Earth's north magnetic pole has been drifting so fast in the last few decades that past estimates are no longer accurate enough for precise navigation.

The magnetic north pole is wandering about 34 miles (55 kilometres) a year.

 It crossed the international date line in 2017, and is leaving the Canadian Arctic on its way to Siberia.

University of Colorado geophysicist Arnaud Chulliat, lead author of the newly issued World Magnetic Model, has opined that the constant shift is a problem for compasses in smartphones and some consumer electronics.

Airplanes and boats also rely on magnetic north, usually as backup navigation.

However he said GPS isn't affected because it's satellite-based.


Since 1831 when it was first measured in the Canadian Arctic it has moved about 1,400 miles (2300 kilometres) toward Siberia. Its speed jumped from about 9 mph (15 kph) to 34 mph (55 kph) since 2000.

The reason is turbulence in Earth's liquid outer core. There is a hot liquid ocean of iron and nickel in the planet's core where the motion generates an electric field, said University of Maryland geophysicist Daniel Lathrop, who wasn't part of the team monitoring the magnetic north pole.


The magnetic south pole is moving far slower than the north

In general Earth's magnetic field is getting weaker, leading scientists to say that it will eventually flip, where north and south pole changes polarity, like a bar magnet flipping over.

It has happened numerous times in Earth's past, but not in the last 780,000 years.

When it reverses, it won't be like a coin flip, but take 1,000 or more years

British actor Albert Finney

British actor Albert Finney

Albert Finney was an English actor, producer and director of film, television and theatre.

He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began to work in the theatre as a Shakespearean actor before attaining prominence on screen in the early 1960s

he was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe, Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Awards, Finney was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor

EU-backed group to discuss 'Good Faith' plan for Venezuela Crisis

EU-backed group to discuss 'Good Faith' plan for Venezuela Crisis

European and Latin American leaders will meet in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo tomorrow to discuss a plan to solve the deepening crisis in Venezuela, but will stay away from direct intervention.

The gathering comes on the heels of a separate meeting of the harder-line Lima Group in Canada, which called for international action against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to pressure him to step down.

Venezuela’s collapse under Maduro, with the country plunged into poverty and driving some 3 million people to flee abroad, has forced nations worldwide to take a stance, particularly after opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself president last month.

US nominates US treasury diplomat David Malpass to head World Bank

US nominates US treasury diplomat David Malpass to head World Bank

USA,  has nominated senior Treasury official David Malpass as the next chief of the World Bank.

He would replace Jim Yong Kim as the president if voted by the Directors of the World Bank Group.

The position of Managing Director of International Monetary Fund has gone to Europe.

 In his current capacity as the Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs, 62-year-old Malpass oversees the working of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to countries of the world for capital projects. It comprises two institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the International Development Association. The World Bank is a component of the World Bank Group.

Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States

Membership: 189 countries (IBRD); 173 countries (IDA)

 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), and the International Development Association (IDA)

Parent organization: World Bank Group

Donald Trump nominated acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt as Interior Secretary

Donald Trump nominated acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt as Interior Secretary

United States President Donald Trump has nominated acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt as the Interior Secretary.

Bernhardt will replace Ryan Zinke, if the Senate approves his nomination.

Zinke resigned in December amid investigations.

Nayib Bukele claimed victory in El Salvador's presidential election

Nayib Bukele claimed victory in El Salvador's presidential election

Former mayor of San Salvador, Nayib Bukele has claimed victory in the El Salvador's presidential election.

With most votes counted, the former mayor of the capital city had nearly 53 per cent of the vote with his closest rival,  Carlos Calleja garnering 32 per cent votes.

Nayib Armando Bukele Ortez is a Salvadoran politician and businessman, and the president elect of El Salvador as of 3 February 2019.

 He was elected as Mayor of Nuevo Cuscatlán on 11 March 2012.

 He was also elected as mayor of San Salvador on 1 March 2015, and took office on 1 May 2015

El Salvador is a small Central American nation.

Capital: San Salvador
Currency: United States Dollar

Human Fraternity Conference

 Human Fraternity Conference

The Human Fraternity Conference that kicked off in Abu Dhabi on Sunday is a rare global alliance that will reaffirm the values of tolerance and to fight destructive forces like terrorism, extremism and hate

 a gathering of more than 600 religious figures from across the world are taking part

The two-day Human Fraternity Conference being held at Emirates Palace, is one of its kind inter-faith gathering in the UAE capital that brings together 'cultures, faiths and civilizations' with an aim to foster tolerance and inter-faith dialogue.

The conference will address three main themes:

 Principles of Human Fraternity,

Common Responsibility to achieving Human Fraternity

 and Human Fraternity: Challenges and Opportunities.

World Wetlands Day

World Wetlands Day occurs annually on February 2nd, marking the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on February 2, 1971.

Established to raise awareness about the value of wetlands for humanity and the planet, WWD was celebrated for the first time in 1997 and has grown remarkably since then.

Each year, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and groups of citizens at all levels of the community, have taken advantage of the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of wetland values and benefits.

Some of these benefits include: biologically diverse ecosystems that provide habitat for many species, serve as buffers on the coast against storms and flooding, and naturally filter water by breaking down or transforming harmful pollutants

This year's theme is Wetlands and Climate Change

China agrees to make key concessions to expand American imports

China agrees to make key concessions to expand American imports

China has agreed to make key concessions to expand American imports in agriculture, energy, manufacturing and services, the main demands of US

 during the two-day high-level talks in Washington, the two sides discussed trade balance, protection of intellectual property rights, non-tariff barriers, service sector, and agriculture.

The two sides also agreed to take effective measures to promote a more balanced development of bilateral trade.

US, said that China must open its market to American manufacturing and agricultural goods if it hopes to strike a trade deal with the US.

The talks in Washington were first face-to-face cabinet-level talks between the US and China since the two countries in December last year struck a three-month long truce in their trade war.

Should the talks fail, tariffs on 200 billion US dollars of Chinese imports are set to increase from 10 per cent to 25 per cent.

World Leprosy Eradication Day

World Leprosy Eradication Day

World Leprosy Day is observed internationally every year on the last Sunday of January to increase the public awareness of the Leprosy or Hansen's Disease.


 Leprosy is one of the oldest recorded diseases in the world.

 It is an infectious chronic disease that targets the nervous system, especially the nerves in the cooler parts of the body - the hands, feet, and face.

 Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease is a highly contagious infection caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae

 theme 2019  ‘ending discrimination, stigma, and prejudice’.