1. Israel offers expertise to clean up Ganga
(a) In an effort to deepen economic cooperation, Israel has offered its expertise and technological capabilities to India in its ambitious drive to clean up the Ganga.
(b) Israel has made significant technological advancement in desalination and drip irrigation with the world’s largest desalination plants and recycles 90 per cent of water for agricultural needs.
2. Amartya Sen wins John Maynard Keynes Prize
(a) Economist and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has won the newly instituted Charleston - EFG John Maynard Keynes Prize.Professor Sen will receive £7,500 to commission a work of art.
(b) John Maynard Keynes was a British economist whose ideas have fundamentally affected the theory and practice of modern macroeconomics.
3. Facebook launches Internet.org in India
(a) Facebook announced a tie-up with Reliance Communications to launch Internet.org in India.India now becomes the sixth destination for Internet.org.
(b) The tie-up gives subscribers of Reliance Communications who have Internet-enabled handsets free access to 38 Websites – a mix of news, music, education, weather and health sites. The list includes Facebook, Wikipedia, and Reliance Astrology.
4. U.S. closes embassy in Yemen amid continued unrest
(a) The State Department has confirmed that it has closed the U.S. Embassy in Yemen and evacuated its staff because of the political crisis and security concerns following the takeover of much of the country by Shiite rebels.
5. ICICI Bank launches 'Pockets' digital banking service
(a) ICICI Bank today launched 'Pockets', a digital banking service, enabling users to instantly send money to any e-mail id, mobile number, friends on Facebook and bank account.
(b) This wallet uses a virtual VISA card which enables the users to transact on any website or mobile application in India.
(c) Users can choose to add a zero-balance savings account to the wallet, which will allow them to earn interest on their idle money.
(d) The universal wallet and the savings account are the first two products to be launched as part of the 'Pockets'digital bank.
6. Banking passwords stealing virus prowling in Indian cyberspace
(a) The virus, of the deadly Trojan variant, has been identified and named as 'Cridex'.
(b) Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In) is the nodal agency to combat hacking, phishing and to fortify security-related defences of the Indian Internet domain.
7. Singapore's Sembcorp to buy stake in IDFC PE's Green Infra for $200 mn
(a) Sembcorp will be investing Rs 1051 crore, valuing the company at over Rs 4400 crore. This also will be the first such foreign investment in the renewable energy sector(i.e. wind).
8. Health ministry launches ‘National Deworming Day’ on 10th feb
(a) The Union health minister Jagat Prakash Nadda along with state health minister Rajendra Rathore declared February 10 as the National Deworming Day in Jaipur at Panchayati Raj Institution.
(b) The day will be observed in 11 states and Union Territories including Assam, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli,and Haryana among others in the first phase on February 10.
(c) Medicines would be given to children aged between 1-19 years,the main objective was to address the problem of malnutrition.