Daily Current Affairs, 02nd February 2019

1) World Wetlands Day: February 2

•World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on the 2nd of February to raise global awareness on the value of wetlands for humanity and the planet. The theme of World Wetlands Day 2019 is ‘Wetlands and Climate Change’.

•Wetlands play a critical role in storing carbon and reducing the impact of extreme weather events associated with climate change. They reduce flooding, replenish drinking water, filter waste, provide urban green spaces and are a source of livelihoods.

2) Government Sets Up Committee To Explore Prepaid Payments By Discoms To Generator Companies

•On the recommendation of Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha, the government constituted a committee under the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) to explore prepaid payments by state electricity distribution companies to power plants.

•The formed committee, consist of the chairman of distribution companies of Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, and representatives from Union power ministry and power associations to look into problems of delayed payments from distribution companies to power generators. The CEA led committee has been asked to submit its recommendations to the power ministry in one month.

3) INS Dronacharya Wins Kochi Area Boat Pulling Regatta 2019

•The INS Dronacharya team won the Regatta trophy in the Kochi Area Pulling Regatta 2019 of the Southern Naval Command (SNC) held in the Ernakulam Channel. Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) School & Diving School secured the runners up position.

•The Boat Pulling Regatta is one of the most prestigious and traditional naval sportingactivities conducted by the Navy. Six teams, formed from all major units of SNC based at Kochi, participated in the regatta.

4) Sanjiv Ranjan Appointed As The Ambassador of India To The Republic Of Colombia

•Ministry of External Affairs announced that Sanjiv Ranjan has been appointed as new Ambassador to the Republic of Colombia. Ranjan, who is the current Ambassador to Argentina, is expected to take up the assignment shortly.

•Ranjan who is a 1993 batch Indian Foreign Service officer holds a bachelors in Economics from Delhi University and an M.A. in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University.

5) Mithali Raj Becomes First Woman To Play 200 ODIs

•India captain Mithali Raj has become the first woman cricketer to play 200 ODIs,adding another achievement to her illustrious career. The 36-year-old is also the highest run-getter in ODIs with 6622 runs at an average of 51.33, including 7 hundreds. Mithali made her ODI debut way back in 1999. She has also played 10 Tests and 85 T20s.

6) Qatar Defeat Japan To Win Their First-Ever Asian Cup Title In Football

•Qatar defeated four-time champions Japan 3-1 in the final to win their first ever Asian Cup. Qatar forward Almoez Ali broke the record of most goals in a single Asian Cupafter netting his ninth goal with an overhead kick, breaking Ali Daei’s 1996 record. This was the first time that Japan lost in an Asian Cup final.