1. Indian Navy's International fleet review 2016 concludes in Vizag
(i)Recently, the Indian Navy's International Fleet Review (IFR) 2016 was concluded in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The five-day event witnessed participation of navy personnel from 50 nations and was also attended by President Pranab Mukherjee and PM Narendra Modi.
(ii) The Fleet Review is a ceremonial inspection of the Naval warships by the President, who this year reviewed the international fleet comprising 75 frontline ships and submarines besides 24 ships that had sailed in from across the globe.
(iii) The latest acquisition from Russia INS Vikramaditya and INS Viraat, the oldest aircraft carrier in the world were also reviewed. Apart from the ships of the Indian Navy, contingents from Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, France, Indonesia, Iran, Maldives, UK and USA also participated.
2. Nepal's Arjun Thapa becomes 12th Secretary General of SAARC
(i) Recently, Nepal's Arjun Thapa was appointed as the 12th Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), succeeding Ahmed Saleem of Maldives.
(ii) He will hold the office for three years starting from March 1.
(iii) Earlier, the 58-year-old diplomat had served as the Foreign Secretary of Nepal as well as charge de' affairs of the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations.This is the second time a citizen of Nepal has taken the top position in the regional body; former Foreign Secretary Yadav Kanta Silwal held the post from January 1994-December 1995.
3. Sundar Pichai becomes highest paid CEO in US
(i) Google head Sundar Pichai was awarded $199 million worth of shares making him the highest paid CEO in the US.
(ii) He has been handed 273, 328 shares that will vest in quarterly increments through 2019 if he continues on the job.The shares make Pichai's holdings in parent company Alphabet to around $650 million.
(iii) However, it still less than the net worth of Google's founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin who, as per Forbes, are worth $34.6 billion and $33.9 billion respectively. Pichai was appointed as the CEO of Google in October 2015 post its re-organisation into Alphabet.
4. Maharashtra tops the Index of the Internet Readiness of Indian States
(i) As per the Internet and Mobile Association of India's (IAMAI) recent report titled "Index of Internet Readiness of Indian States", Maharashtra tops the list in terms of overall internet readiness in India.
(ii) Though other states like Karnataka, Gujarat, Telangana and Tamil Nadu have scored well on theindex, eastern states have fared poorly. The index considered parameters like e-infrastructure, e-participation, IT services and e-governance.
(iii) A major differentiating aspect of the report is that it has not only focussed on digitisation of services but also their usage by people. For example, Madhya Pradesh scored very high in terms of citizen participation, but ranked low in other aspects, thereby securing an overall 14th rank.
(iv) Among smaller states, Delhi tops the list followed by Puducherry and Goa. Among Union Territories, Chandigarh ranks first in terms of Internet readiness.
5. Safer Internet day observed on 9th February
(i) Every year February 9 is observed as Safer Internet Day and this year's theme was 'Play Your Part for a Better Internet.'
(ii) Coinciding with this day social media site Facebook shared tips to help young netizens take more control over their security and privacy in the virtual world. Some tips were for parents to ascertain their children's safety online.
(iii) Facebook's Head of Global Safety Antigone Davis stated that Facebook is dedicated to providing users with tools for their safety and urged users to act responsibly.
6. Joshna Chinappa clicnhes gold at women's individual squash
(i) India's Joshna Chinappa recently bagged a gold medal in the women's individual squash at the South Asian Games, defeating Pakistan's Maria Toorpakai Wazir.
(ii) At the match held in Guwahati, Chinappa, ranked 14th in the world, scored 10-12, 11-7, 11-9, 11-7 against Wazir, who holds the 50th rank.
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