Daily Current Affairs, 06th February 2018

1)  EAM Sushma Swaraj Embarked On 3-Day Visit To Saudi Arabia

•External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has left for her first official visit to Saudi Arabia. During the three-day visit, Mrs Swaraj will meet with the Saudi leadership to 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’. India is the guest of honour country at the fest. Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj will be leading an Indian delegation for the inauguration of the Janadriyah Festival.

2)  UP Government In Association With UNICEF Launches DASTAK Campaign

•Uttar Pradesh State government in association with UNICEF has launched massive door to door campaign DASTAK to eradicate deadly Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and Japanise Encephalitis (JE) disease in the state.

•The war cry of DASTAK is 'Darwaja Khatkhatao, AES aur JE ko bhagao'. In DASTAK campaign, whole state machinery with the help of UNICEF will now literally go door to door in 38 JES and AE affected districts which mostly fall in the Tarai region.

3)  Mumbai Airport Becomes World’s Busiest Single-Runway Airport

•Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International airport of Mumbai sets record with 980 flights in 24 hours or almost one flight every minute.

•With this, the Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International airport bettered its own feat of 974 flights in 24 hours, recorded in December 2017. While Gatwick, the U.K.’s second-largest airport, remains the most efficient single-runway airport in the world.

4)  India Successfully Test-Fires Nuclear-Capable Agni-I Missile

•India successfully test-fired the indigenously developed short-range nuclear capable Agni-I ballistic missile. The missile was fired from the Abdul Kalam Island off Odisha coast.

•The test was conducted by the Strategic Force Command of the Indian Army. The range of Missile is 700 km. It was 18th version of Agni-I.

5)  Sweden Commits Record $370m Of Aid To UN World Food Programme

•Sweden and the United Nations World Food Programme signed a Strategic Partnership Agreementcommitting an unprecedented $370 million dollars to WFP over the next four years. The contribution for the period 2018-2021 is the biggest ever made by a donor within a WFP Strategic Partnership Agreement.

•For almost a decade, the Swedish government has been the largest donor of flexible funds to WFP whereas 90% of government funding to WFP is earmarked for specific operations or activities.

6)  Jerome H Powell Sworn In As 16th Chairman Of Federal Reserve

•Jerome H Powell was sworn in as the 16th Chairman of the Federal Reserve for a four-year term. Mr Powell has succeeded Janet Yellen, the first woman to lead the US central bank in its 100-year history.

•Powell was nominated for the post in November 2017 by President Donald Trump. The oath was administered by Vice Chairman Randal K. Quarles in the Board Room.

7)  Maldives Crisis- Government Declares State Of Emergency

•The Maldives president, Abdulla Yameen, has declared a state of emergency in the country as heavily armed troops stormed the country’s top court and a former president Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed was arrested in a deepening political crisis.

•Exiled former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed urged India to "act swiftly" to help in resolving the ongoing political crisis in the island nation.