Today Current Affairs | February 7th 2018 Current Updates

Daily Current Affairs Feb 7

This Day in History – February 7

Quick Read – Feb 7 Current Affairs

Detail Read – Feb 7 Current Updates

Quick Read – Latest Affairs Feb 7

National News

Have complete information about National News by reading below Current Affairs Feb 7

Maharashtra govt boost to electric vehicles.

• With an aim to promote manufacturing and use of electric vehicles in the state, the Maharashtra government has unveiled an electric vehicles industry policy.
• Apart from incentives and aid to manufacturing companies, the policy proposes to give benefits to consumers.
• Stressing the use of electric vehicles as the mode of mass transport, the policy aims to attract an investment of Rs25,000 crore and create one lakh jobs in the next five years.
• Under the policy, the state has given the subsidy of 15% of the total price of electric vehicles to buyers.

Maharashtra becomes the first state to clear policy to promote the use of technology in financial services.

• To make Mumbai and its adjoining areas as “fintech capital of the world”, the cabinet passed a policy to help start-ups in the sector a first in the country.
• Fintech refers to the use of technology in financial and banking services.
• Apart from the fintech policy, the state government cleared policies for defence and aerospace, electric vehicles, logistics, textile, garments, gems and jewellery, and coir etc.
• To promote defence and aerospace production, the government also plans to set up units in Pune, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad and Nagpur.

US announces 2+2 ministerial dialogue with India to take place in Washington DC.

• The United States announced that the inaugural “2+2” ministerial dialogue between its defence and state department secretaries and their Indian counterparts will take place in Washington.
• We expect to launch our inaugural 2+2 dialogue with India in Washington this spring when secretary (Rex) Tillerson and secretary (James) Mattis will meet with their Indian counterparts.
• The dialogue is expected to be held on April 18 or 19.
• The White House had said in a statement, establishing a new 2-by-2 ministerial dialogue will elevate their strategic consultations.

Sushma Swaraj arrives in Saudi Arabia on a three-day visit.

• External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj made her maiden visit to Saudi Arabia.
• During her visit, she will inaugurate the Janadriyah festival of the Gulf Kingdom.
• During the three-day visit, Swaraj will meet with the Saudi leadership and discuss bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest.
• She will also participate in the inauguration of the prestigious National Heritage and Culture Festival ‘Janadriyah’, at which India is the guest of honour country.
• The festival, organised by the National Guard, exhibits Saudi Arabia’s rich tapestry of culture and heritage.

Govt floats tender for 2,000 MW wind power projects.

• The government has invited tenders for 2,000 MW of wind power projects connected to the inter-state transmission system.
• The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) would sign 25-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the winning bidders and sell the power to electricity distribution utilities.
• A company can bid for a minimum capacity of 50 MW and a maximum capacity of 300 MW.

International Affairs

Latest International Current Affairs Feb 7 Updates from around the globe. 

SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy successfully takes off, launches Elon Musk’s roadster in space.

• The world’s most powerful rocket, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, roared into space through clear blue skies in its debut test flight on Tuesday from a Florida.
• The 23-story-tall jumbo rocket, carrying a cherry red Tesla Roadster from the assembly line of Musk’s electric car company.
•  At least 2,000 spectators cheered the blastoff from a campground near Cocoa Beach, 8 km from the space centre.
• Within three minutes, the Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters separated from the central rocket in one of the most critical points of the flight.

China says mid-course missile interceptor test successful.

• China said that it successfully tested a mid-course anti-missile defence system within its own territory.
• The defence ministry said in a brief statement on its website that Monday’s test achieved its “preset goal”.
• No details were given about the type of weapon tested, although China has been working on advancements to its standby HQ-9 anti-missile defence system.
• Mid-course interception involves destroying a ballistic missile while it is flying in space before re-entering the atmosphere.

The US launches new air attacks against Taliban.

• US bombers have struck multiple Taliban targets in a new air offensive over the past four days in far northeastern Afghanistan near the China and Tajikistan borders.
• The strikes hit Taliban training facilities in Badakhshan province, preventing the planning and rehearsal of terrorist acts.
• The bombing also destroyed vehicles that it said the Taliban took from the Afghan National Army and were turning into vehicle-born explosive devices.
• The strikes were carried out in part by a US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress, which dropped 24 guided munitions.

Business News

Check out the latest trending business Current Affairs Feb 7 updates by reading the news.

Doritos to launch ‘lady-friendly’ tortilla chips.

• Bosses at tortilla chips-maker Doritos announced they will launch a new “lady-friendly” version of the snack.
• The “low crunch” triangular snacks will even come in special packs specifically designed to fit into women’s handbags.
• Food and drinks giant PepsiCo which owns Doritos has claimed research has found women do not like to crunch loudly or lick their fingers when eating in front of others.

Mercedes-Benz apologises in China for quoting Dalai Lama abroad.

• Mercedes-Benz has apologized to China for quoting the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader who is reviled by Beijing.
• In a statement, Mercedes-Benz apologized Tuesday for wrong information that hurt the feelings of Chinese people.
• Last month, Beijing ordered Marriott, Zara and other companies to apologize for calling Taiwan and Hong Kong countries on websites or promotional material.

Govt doubles import duty on sugar to 100%, hikes duty on chana to 40%.

• The government doubled import duty on sugar to 100% and raised duty on chana to 40% to protect domestic farmers.
• At present, customs duty or import tax on sugar is 50% and that on chana (chickpeas) is 30%.
• The notification issued by the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) seeks to increase import duty on all types of sugar from the present 50% to 100%.
• The higher tax has been imposed with immediate effect and without an end date, Central Board of Excise and Customs’ notification said.

Awards News

Awards Updates of Current Affairs Feb 7

Ritu Sarin wins International Press Institute’s award for excellence in journalism.

• The International Press Institute’s Indian National Committee has named Ritu Sarin, Executive Editor- Investigations, The Indian Express as the recipient of the IPI India Award for Excellence in Journalism.
• She has been awarded for her sustained work in the investigation of crimes, political assassinations, terrorism cases frauds and economic offences throughout her career.
• This is the fourth IPI India award for The Indian Express or its journalists.

Defence News

Nuclear-capable Agni-1 test-fired, 700 km range.

• India successfully test-fired its nuclear capable ballistic missile Agni-1.
• It has a strike range of over 700 km, from a facility off the Odisha coast.
• The indigenously developed surface-to-surface missile was launched as part of a periodic training activity by the Army’s Strategic Forces Command.
• The state-of-the-art missile was launched around 8.30 am from a mobile launcher at Pad 4 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at the Dr Abdul Kalam Island.
• Agni-I, which weighs around 12 tonnes and is 15-metre-long, can carry payloads up to 1,000 kg and is capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

Sports Updates

Current Affairs Feb 7 is bringing you with Records, titles and other updates from the world of sports.

MotoGP unveils MotoE electric bike series from 2019.

• MotoGP promoter Dorna Sports unveiled its new bike for the all-electric world championships the FIM MotoE World Cup from the 2019 season.
• Energy firm Enel will sponsor the series with all competitors using the same Energica Ego bike supplied with Michelin tyres.
• The bike is quite heavy but because the weight is quite low it’s agile and builds power in a linear way.
• The Energica bike has a horsepower of 147, can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in three seconds and reach a top speed of 250 km/h.

Viswanathan Anand to make Pro Chess League debut.

• Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand will be making his debut in the second edition of the Pro Chess League.
• The league comprises eight teams each bunched into four Divisions Eastern, Central, Atlantic and Pacific.
• Each team fields four players in a match and each member has to play against all the four members of the opposing team.

 Links Related to Current Affairs Feb 7:

Candidates hoping to get Government Jobs can get more details about the Current updates from above links. You can read some latest Current Affairs, and attempt Current Affairs Quiz which helps you to crack various Competitive Exams. Make use of our  Current Affairs Feb 7  and current affairs India 2018 for better scoring in exams. Users will be benefited with the free month wise Current Affairs PDF and Updates available for download. The Free Quizzes & GK Questions available in this Affairs Section will benefit all the career hopefuls to get their desired Sarkari Naukri. This current affairs daily page is well created by the dedicated team members of recruitment.guru. Make use of Current Affairs Feb 7.