Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy's son-in-law, Rishi Sunak has been appointed as UK's Finance Minister. He replaced Pakistani Chancellor Sajid Javid. After the reshuffle yesterday, three Indian origin Members of Parliament are now a part of Britain's most diverse cabinet led by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. 

The 47-year-old Priti Patel has been appointed as the Home Minister. The 51-year-old Alok Sharma has been appointed as the Business Secretary in the British Cabinet. Sharma was elevated to the role of the secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy. 

Along with these three, 15 Indian-origin MPs are among 65 non-whites elected to the new 650-member House of Commons, reflecting 10 percent of its strength. 

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal inaugurated the first phase of East-West Metro in Kolkata yesterday evening.

The passengers services in this 5.8 Kilometers stretch between Salt Lake's Sector five and Salt Lake Stadium will begin today. Mr Goyal announced that the remaining 10.6 Kilometers starches of East-West Metro will be completed by December 2021. 

Mr Goyal also launched and dedicated several other Railway projects for West Bengal from the same venue.
More than 2,400 crore rupees have been spent for first phase of East-West Metro. On completion, it will connect two old cities Kolkata and Howrah.

It will be Country's first underwater train lines where trains will play in tunnels under river Hooghly. 

President Ram Nath Kovind has lauded the remarkable contribution made by Indian Navy and INS Shivaji to the nation. He was speaking after presenting President's Colour to Indian Navy's INS Shivaji at Lonavala today on the occasion of Platinum Jubilee of this premier training establishment. The President’s Colour is the highest honour that can be bestowed upon any military unit.
Earlier, the President was given a guard of honour followed by an impressive ceremonial parade comprising 130 officers and 630 sailors of the Indian Navy. INS Shivaji is commemorating 75 years of its glorious service to the Indian Navy this month. The Platinum Jubilee year celebrations started from 15th February last year.

The motto of this establishment is Karmasu Kaushalam which translates to imbibing the concept of Skill at Work in all facets of human endeavour. The establishment has rendered 75 years of glorious service to the nation by imparting training in engineering discipline to personnel of Indian Navy, Coast Guard, other sister services and friendly foreign Countries. The establishment has trained more than two lakh officers and sailors, both Indian and International, since inception. All courses conducted at INS Shivaji are recognized by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

The world's largest mobile phone showcase, Mobile World Congress (MWC), has been cancelled over coronavirus concerns, organisers have confirmed.

The GSM Association (GSMA) said it had become "impossible" for the event to go ahead as planned in Barcelona.

BT, Facebook, LG, Nokia, Sony and Vodafone were among the high-profile exhibitors to have pulled out of the annual event, citing coronavirus fears.

But Spain's health minister, Salvador Illa, urged people to remain calm.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Illa said people should "trust in the Spanish health system" and "take decisions based on scientific evidence".

MWC was due to be held in Barcelona on 24-27 February. More than 100,000 people usually attend the annual event, about 6,000 of whom travel from China.

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal will inaugurate the first phase of East - West Metro in Kolkata today.

In this phase, trains will play from Salt Lake's sector five to Salt Lake Stadium. Passenger services will start in this 5.8 Kilometres stretches from Friday.

The services will remain open from 8 in the morning to till 8 at night with 20 minutes frequencies of trains within six stations.

Mr Goyal will also launch several other Railway projects for West Bengal from the same venue.

Two teachers in every school will be made Health and wellness ambassador to spread awareness about health issues. These ambassadors will be supported by class monitors as Health and Wellness Messengers. Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Human Resource Development Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey launched the School Health and Wellness Ambassador initiative under Ayushman Bharat in New Delhi yesterday. Initially, the programme will be started in 200 districts.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Pokhriyal said that the goal of education is not only to increase the knowledge but also to inculcate be­havior which promotes consciousness about good health. He said that the teachers are the best mentors for the children and now they will also act as Health and Wellness Ambassadors. Mr Pokhriyal said, the first phase of implementation will be in all the public upper primary, secondary and senior secondary schools of aspirational districts.

Today is World Radio Day. The day is observed every year on this date to raise greater awareness among the public and the media of the importance of radio and to encourage decision makers to establish and provide access to information through radio. It is also a day to remember the unique power of radio which touches lives and brings people together from every corner of the globe.

The theme of this year's World Radio Day is Radio and Diversity.

In his message on World Radio Day, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said, radio brings people together and in an era of rapid media evolution, it retains a special place in every community as an accessible source of vital news and information. He urged the people to recognize the enduring power of radio to promote diversity and help build a more peaceful and inclusive world.
On the occasion, Chief Executive Officer of Prasar Bharati Shahsi Shekhar Vempati said that radio has a very unique role and place in people's life. He said, several parts of the country continue to rely on radio as their primary medium and source of information. Mr Vempati said that Prasar Bharati as a public service broadcaster of India has immense responsibility to sustain and develop radio as a medium of public broadcasting. He also highlighted the various initiatives taken to increase the popularity of All India Radio.
Ever since its inception in 1937, All India Radio has grown manyfold. AIR News today broadcast 607 bulletins in 92 languages and dialects every day.

Union Cabinet has approved the Pesticide Management Bill 2020. Briefing reporters in New Delhi yesterday, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said, the legislation will promote organic pesticides in the country. Major Ports Authority Bill to enhance overall efficiencies of the ports was cleared by the Cabinet.

Cabinet has also approved changes in the Direct Tax Vivad se Vishwas Bill, 2020. The bill seeks to increase its scope to cover litigations pending in various debt recovery tribunals (DRTs).

In another decision, the Cabinet has given in-principle approval for capital infusion of  2,500 crore rupees in three Public Sector General Insurance Companies. They are Oriental Insurance Company Limited, National Insurance Company Limited and United India Insurance Company Limited. The decision has been taken in the wake of the critical financial position and breach of regulatory solvency requirements of these companies.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate a two-day Conference on Combating Drug Trafficking for BIMSTEC Partner Nations in New Delhi today. The conference is being organized by Narcotics Control Bureau. This platform will provide an opportunity to all the member nations to deliberate on the increased threats posed by drug trafficking.

Asian countries are increasingly being affected by drug trafficking and BIMSTEC is one of the most effective platforms to tackle this global threat. The BIMSTEC is a regional organization comprising seven Member States lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal - Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand besides India.

Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal will take oath as the Chief Minister of Delhi for the third time on February 16 at Ramlila Maidan, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia confirmed via a press conference in Delhi on February 12.

Invites are expected to go out to all political stalwarts from India, cutting across ideologies.

The two-time CM of the National Capital won the Delhi Assembly elections with a thumping majority by securing more than 60 seats, slightly short of the 67-seat benchmark it had set for itself in the previous polls.

Notably, the post of CM was abolished in Delhi for years, interspersed with President's rule a couple of times.