World Cancer Day is observed on the 4th of February every year to create awareness on cancer as a public health issue and to strengthen actions towards improving access to quality care, screening, early detection, treatment and palliative care. This year the them is Close the Care Gap which is about understanding the inequities in cancer care and taking actions to make the necessary progress to address them.

The Secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Shri Alkesh Kumar Sharma inaugurated the G20 Cyber Security Exercise and Drill for more than 400 domestic and international participants under India’s G20 presidency. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) conducted this Cyber Security Exercise and drill in hybrid mode (Physical and Virtual) where international participants from more than 12 countries joined through online mode.

Google has invested around $300 million in Anthropic, an artificial intelligence startup whose technology is said to rival OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. According to the deal, Anthropic has agreed to purchase some of Google’s services to support its technology. The terms of the deal, through which Google will take a stake of about 10 per cent, requires Anthropic to use the money to buy computing resources from the search company’s cloud computing division.

New India Assurance (NIA) has launched a ‘Pay as You Drive’ (PAYD) policy, which offers a comprehensive motor insurance policy that charges premium based on the usage of vehicle. The policy has two components - third-party cover and own-damage cover. The customer can save money on renewal premium by availing the applicable discount if the vehicle has not run beyond a specified number of kilometres. The discount will be applied on basic own damage premium.

Noted Kannada writer K.V. Tirumalesh, 82, passed away in Hyderabad. He is regarded as one of the most versatile writers across genres and a man with eclectic interests. Though primarily recognised as a poet and honoured with the Sahitya Akademi award; he wrote extensively across genres, including plays, short stories, novels, translations and criticism.  Born in 1940 in Kasaragod district, he was a linguist by training and taught at the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad. 

Maharashtra government officially adopted ‘Jai Jai Maharashtra Majha’ as the State song. The decision to adopt the song was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by CM Shinde. The song will be adopted on February 19, the birth anniversary of the 17th century Maratha warrior-king Chhatrapati Shivaji. The song, translated into English as ‘Glory to Maharashtra’, was composed by Marathi poet Raja Badhe and sung by renowned folk artiste Krishnarao Ganpatrao Sable.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has appointed V. Ramachandra as a member of the Advisory Committee of Srei Infrastructure Finance Ltd. (SIFL) and Srei Equipment Finance Ltd. (SEFL). The RBI had on October 11, 2021, constituted an Advisory Committee under Rule 5 (c) of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Rules, 2019, to advise the Administrator in the operations of the financial service providers during the corporate insolvency resolution process.

India will be invited as the focal country at the Madrid International Book Fair in 2025. Spain is the theme country at the 46th International Kolkata Book Fair here. As part of the cultural exchange between the two countries, Spain has donated books to five universities in Bengal, where the Spanish language is taught. Works of Spanish authors are also being published by leading Indian publishing houses.

Morgan Stanley named Arun Kohli as the new India head to replace Sanjay Shah, a veteran of 26 years at the firm, who is retiring. Kohli, currently the chief operating officer for EMEA, will head the US bank’s business in the country. The Wall Street bank had been operating in India for 29 years and provides a variety of services from investment banking, fixed income, commodities and derivative products. 

In a ceremony held on the eve of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela final, FIH President Tayyab Ikram presented the FIH President's Award to VK Pandian, Secretary to the Chief Minister of Odisha, for his outstanding contribution to hockey. The FIH President's Award recognises individuals National Associations or other organisations for valuable services to hockey, whether direct or indirect or initiatives which have had a significant effect on hockey at the international level.