Current Affairs 12th February 2016

Important Points : 

• Which two countries have signed nine agreements including renewable energy and finance - India & UAE 
• Who has acquired US-based HealthPlan Services - Wipro
• Name the Soviet football legend who has passed away - Anatoli Ilyin
• Which book has been launched by Amar Chitra Katha - Book titled A Kingdom for his Love 
• Which Pulitzer Prize-winning Composer passed away - Leslie Bassett
• Which country has named women ministers for happiness, tolerance - UAE
• Name the Four Indian-Americans elected to National Academy of Engineering of USA - Anil K Jain, Arati Prabhakar, Ganesh C Thakur and K R Sridhar

Details : 

Which two countries have signed nine agreements including renewable energy and finance - India & UAE 

On 11th February 2016, nine agreements have been signed by India and United Arab Emirates (UAE) covering a wide range of sectors like renewable energy, cyber security, finance and infrastructure.

The signed agreements were 

• MoU for exchange of information on trade and business opportunities
• MoU on Technical Cooperation in Cyber Space and Combating Cyber Crime
• MoU on Indian Rupee (INR)/UAE Dirham (AED) Bilateral Currency Swap Arrangement
• MoU on Establishing a Framework for Facilitating the Participation of UAE institutional investors in Infrastructure Investments in India
• MoU on Cooperation in the Exploration and use of Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes
• Letter of Intent on Cooperation for skill development and recognition of qualifications
• MoU for bilateral cooperation in the field of insurance supervision
• General Framework Agreement on Renewable Energy Cooperation:
• Executive Programme for Cultural Cooperation (EPCC) between India and UAE

Who has acquired US-based HealthPlan Services - Wipro

On 11th February 2016, an agreement have been signed by Wipro to acquire HealthPlan Services from Water Street Healthcare Partners.

With this acquisition, wipro will strengthen its position in the U.S. health insurance market.

Do You Know : 

HealthPlan is a leading independent technology and Business Process as a Service (BPaaS) provider in the U.S. health insurance market founded in 1970 Headquartered in Florida, U.S.

Name the Soviet football legend who has passed away - Anatoli Ilyin

On 10th February 2016, Soviet football legend Anatoli Ilyin passed away in Moscow, Russia at the age of 84.

He was the first ever scorer of the UEFA European Championship qualifying goal and the strike that earned the Soviet Union Olympic gold.

He had won two Soviet Cups and five Soviet Top League titles. 

Which book has been launched by Amar Chitra Katha - Book titled A Kingdom for his Love 

In February 2016, Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) launched a fiction book titled A Kingdom For His Love co-authored by Shinie Antony and Vani Mahesh.

The book is about the two people coming together against all odds for the sake of true love.

The story of the book is about the timeless romance of King Udayana and princess Vasavadatta.

Which Pulitzer Prize-winning Composer passed away - Leslie Bassett

On 4th February 2016, Leslie Bassett, a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, passed away in Oakwood, Georgia at the age of 93.

He won the Pulitzer for music for Variations for Orchestra.

Which country has named women ministers for happiness, tolerance - UAE

On 11th February 2016, The United Arab Emirates (UAE) appointed women ministers to the newly created portfolios for happiness and tolerance, and youth affairs. 

Eight women names has been revealed by Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum.

Ohoud al-Roumi was appointed Minister of State for Happiness. She will also keep her former post.

Other female ministers include 

• Najla al-Awar - Minister of Community Development
• Reem al-Hashimi - State Minister for International Cooperation Affairs
• Noura al-Kaabi - Minister of State for the Federal National Council or Parliament
• Jamila al-Muhairi - Minister of State for Education
• Shamma al-Mazroui (22) was appointed minister for youth
• Lubna al-Qassimi - Minister for Tolerance, she is a veteran minister of international cooperation and development
• Maitha Alshamsi - State Minister

Several key ministries remained in the hands of members of the ruling families and they are 

• Sheikh Mansour - Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs
• Suhail al-Mazroui - Oil Minister
• Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid - Defence portfolio 
• Sheikh Saif bin zayed al-Nahyan - Portfolio of Interior
• Sheikh Abdullah - Ministry Of Foreign Affairs, which has been merged with the portfolio of international cooperation
• Sheikh Hamdan – Minister of finance

Name the Four Indian-Americans elected to National Academy of Engineering of USA - Anil K Jain, Arati Prabhakar, Ganesh C Thakur and K R Sridhar

On 8th February 2016, Four Indian-American engineers and two Indians were elected to National Academy of Engineering (NAE) of the USA for their outstanding contributions to engineering research, practice, or education.

While Indo-Americans Dr K R Sridhar, Dr Arati Prabhakar, Anil K Jain and Ganesh Thakur were part of 80 newly-elected members, former technocrat Sam Pitroda and Reliance Industries CMD Mukesh Ambani were part of 22 foreign members.

About National Academy of Engineering (NAE)

Founded in 1964, NAE is a private, independent and non-profit organisation which provides engineering leadership with a mission to promote a vibrant engineering profession and giving insights to the US government on related matters.