Current Affairs 8th February 2017

Current Affairs 8th February 2017 - Important Points

• Name of spacecraft which completed fourth flyby of Jupiter - Juno
• Who has been awarded with Genesis Prize of Israel - Anish Kapoor
• Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill passed in - LokSabha
• Which day celebrated on 7th Feb 2017 - Safer Internet Day
• National Badminton Championship winner are - Sourabh Verma (Men) and Rituparna Das (Women)
• In 2017 census, Irrawaddy dolphins count in Odisha is - 181
• Underwater Harbor Defense and Surveillance System was launched in - Mumbai

Current Affairs 8th February 2017 - Details

Name of spacecraft which completed fourth flyby of Jupiter - Juno

Nasa’s solar-powered spacecraft Juno completed its fourth fly by of Jupiter in first week of Feb 2017. It was closest to Jupiter as compared to other three attempts.

It was launched on 5 August 2011 in a rocket Atlas V-551 from Cape Canaveral, Florida in the USA.

Junocam , a color camera of the spacecraft provides the first detailed glimpse of Jupiter's poles to the public.

Who has been awarded with Genesis Prize of Israel - Anish Kapoor

On 6th Feb 2017, Indian origin UK Sculptor, Anish Kapoor was awarded Israel's Genesis Prize. The award includes a prize money of $1 million, which awardee has already announced to help the Syrian refugees and alleviate the refugee crisis.

More about Anish Kapoor :

• He is born to an Indian father and Iraqi-Jew mother, studied in Doon School in India before moving to UK.
• He is connected to social activities and shares his artistic contributions to the world.
• Kapoor created Holocaust Memorial for Liberal Jewish Synagogue in London.

Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill passed in - LokSabha

On 7th February 2017, The Lok Sabha passed the Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill. The Bill seeks to enable employers to pay wages to workers through cheque or directly crediting to their accounts.

The Bill was moved by Labor and Employment Minister BandaruDattatreya in the House replacing the Ordinance promulgated by the President on 28 December 2016.

This Bill changes the 1936 Act to permit the employer to pay an employee’s wages: 

In coin or currency notes,  or 

By cheque, or

By crediting them into his bank account.

Which day celebrated on 7th Feb 2017 - Safer Internet Day

On 7th February 2017, Safer internet day was observed across the globe. Theme of this year was "Uniting for the better Internet and be the change".

More about Safer Internet Day -

• Safer Internet Day is celebrated in over a hundred countries spread across the world.
• It was first celebrated in 2011 with the theme – Virtual Lives.
• The day is celebrated as an opportunity to highlight positive uses of the technology.

National Badminton Championship winner are - Sourabh Verma (Men) and Rituparna Das (Women)

Among Important Sports Current Affairs, On 7th February 2017, Sourabh Verma from men’s singles and Rituparna Das from women’s singles won the Titles in National Badminton Championship in the 81st Senior National Badminton Championships tournament in Patna, Biharon.

In 2017 census, Irrawaddy dolphins count in Odisha is - 181

Forest and Environment Department of the Odisha Government carried a census recently and found 181 endangered Irrawaddy dolphins in the state.

There were 34 humpback dolphins, 31 bottlenose dolphins and five pantropical spotted. The number is significantly dropped from 2015, when survey teams recorded 450 dolphins in the state.

Worldwide population of these dolphins is estimated to be over 7000, with over 90 per cent in Bangladesh. Their population outside Bangladesh and India are critically endangered.

Underwater Harbor Defense and Surveillance System was launched in - Mumbai

On 3rd February 2017, The Vice Admiral and Western Naval Command chief Girish Luthra inaugurated an Integrated under Water Harbor Defense and Surveillance System (IUHDSS) for the Indian Navy.

Important Highlights about Water Harbor Defense and Surveillance System (IUHDSS) :

The IUHDSS is the third to be installed in India.

Its sensors have been placed strategically all around the harbor in Mumbai so that they can provide a complete real-time situation for analysis and monitoring purposes.

It can detect both large and small targets like ships, boats, swimmers and divers at adequate ranges.