The ISA has planned to launch the World Solar Bank (WSB) at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow that is scheduled for November 2021. The World Solar Bank will support India’s attempt to secure its leadership in the climate arena.
The HQ of World Solar Bank is expected to be set up in India.
Russia has said that its scientists have detected the 1st case of transmission of the H5N8 strain of Avian Flu to humans & inform the World Health Organization in this regard. It is the world’s first case of transmission of the Avian Flu (H5N8) to humans.
Highly contagious strain H5N8 is lethal for birds.
State-owned Indian Bank signed an MoU with Society for Innovation and Development (SID), an initiative of Indian Institute of Science, for extending exclusive credit facilities to Start-ups & MSMEs. It is a part of Ind Spring Board for financing Start-ups.
Indian Bank CEO: Padmaja Chundru
HQ: Chennai
BoM entered into a strategic partnership with Vayana Network to offer financial support to MSME sector. Through this association BoM will provide short term credit to meet funding requirements of dealers of corporates via Mahabank Channel Financing Scheme.
BoM HQ: Pune
CEO: A S Rajeev
Joint User Trials for Helina (Army Version) and Dhruvastra (Air Force Version) Missile Systems designed and developed by DRDO were carried out from Advanced Light Helicopter platform in desert ranges. Helina is a third generation Anti-Tank Guided Missile.
Chairman of DRDO: G. Satheesh Reddy.
India, Ethiopia signed two agreements related to visa facilitation and leather technology. The agreements were signed in the presence of Ethiopia Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Demeke Mekonnen Hassen and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Ethiopia Capital: Addis Ababa
Currency: Ethiopian birr
India & Maldives signed agreements on various domains including fish processing, public broadcasting, sustainable urban development, road infrastructure & housing. Agreements were exchanged between EAM Dr S. Jaishankar & his counterpart Abdulla Shahid.
Maldives Capital: Male
Currency: Maldivian rufiyaa
Georgia’s ruling party has nominated Irakli Garibashvili to take over as prime minister hours after Giorgi Gakharia handed in his resignation following a court ruling that ordered the arrest of the head of the Caucasus country's main opposition force.
Georgia Capital: Tbilisi
Currency: Georgian lari
World Bank Prez David Malpass appointed Makhtar Diop as MD & Executive Vice President to head International Finance Corp, an arm of the World Bank Group that advances economic development by encouraging growth of the private sector in developing countries.
He served for 6 years as the World Bank's VP for Africa Region.
Argentina’s Health Minister Gines Gonzalez Garcia resigned after the growing scandal around the Covid-19 vaccination. Reports said that the people had been able to use connections to get access to COVID-19 vaccines to which they were not entitled.
Argentina Capital: Buenos Aires
Currency: Argentine peso
Media baron Peter Mukerjea came out with his memoir, which he says is just a personal recollection of his experiences. Starstruck: Confessions of a TV Executive is a story of Indian television industry, authored by the man who was at the forefront of it.
The book is published by Westland.
International Mother Language Day is celebrated every year on February 21 globally to recognise and promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. The theme for 2021: “Fostering Multilingualism for Inclusion in Education and Society”.
International Mother Language Day was proclaimed in 1999.
Japan's Naomi Osaka won women's singles game by beating American Jennifer Brady in Australian Open final to win her 4th Grand Slam title. Osaka has now won 2 Australian Open titles with her other Grand Slam successes coming at the US Open in 2018 and 2020.
Naomi Osaka is a Japanese tennis player.
In Tennis, the Belgian and Belarus pair of Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka won the women's doubles final of the Australian Open 2021. They defeated Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic. It is the pair’s 2nd grand slam title.
They had earlier won the 2019 US Open together.
Chris Morris became the costliest ever player at an IPL auction for Rajasthan Royal while Krishnappa Gowtham became the costliest Indian uncapped player for Chennai Super Kings at IPL 2021 auction. Punjab Kings had the biggest purse coming into the auction
A total of 292 players were enlisted for shortened auctions.