Current Affairs: February 19-20th, 2018

February 19-20th, 2018

1. World Congress on Information Technology Begins in Hyderabad.

• The prestigious World Congress on Information Technology 2018 has begun in Hyderabad. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the inaugural session of the three-day IT summit through a video link.
• The World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) is organizing Congress while the National Alliance of Software and Services Companies (NASSC) and the Telangana state Government are jointly hosting the event.
• Static Part: Telangana CM- K Chandrasekhar Rao, Governor- ESL Narasimhan (Add. Charge).

2. India Successfully Test-Fires Agni-II Missile in Odisha.

• India successfully test-fired Agni II medium-range nuclear-capable missile from APJ Abdul Kalam island off the Odisha coast. The Strategic Forces Command (SFC) fired Agni-II from a mobile launcher at launch complex 4 of the Integrated Test Range.
• Agni-II, which has a length of 20 meters, weighs 17 tonnes and can carry a payload of 1000 kgs over a distance of 2000 km. It is a part of the Agni series of missiles developed by the DRDO.
• Static Part: DRDO- Defence Research and Development Organisation|DRDO Chairman- S Christopher, Headquarters- New Delhi.

3. UK, India launch joint research projects on clean water and clean energy.

• UK-India research projects on ‘Water Quality Research’ and ‘Energy Demand Reduction in Built Environment’ were launched by Dr. V K Saraswat, Member, National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog, Professor Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DST) India and Daniel Shah, Director, Research Councils UK (RCUK) India.
• The ‘Water Quality Research’ programme has eight projects and ‘Energy Demand Reduction in Built Environment’ programme has four projects, with a total joint investment of up to £15 million.
• These projects aim to deliver mutual benefits and research solutions not only to the UK and India but also to address shared global sustainable development goals – clean water and clean energy.

4. India’s 2nd Mission to Moon Chandrayaan-2 to be Launched in April 2018.

• According to the Union Minister of State of the Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch Chandrayan-2 Mission around April 2018. Chandrayaan-2 is the country’s second mission to the moon.
• Chandraayan-2 is a challenging mission as for the first time we will carry an orbiter, a lander and a rover to the moon. Chairman of ISRO K Sivan stated that the total cost of the Chandrayaan 2 mission will be about Rs 8 billion. The window for launch is open until October 2018.
• Static Part: ISRO was established in 1969|Founder and 1st Chairman of ISRO- Vikram Ambalal Sarabhai| Headquarters in- Bengaluru, Karnataka.

5. Government appoints two new EDs in banks.

• Debashish Mukherjee and Murali Ramaswami have been appointed executive directors of Canara Bank and Vijaya Bank respectively, according to an official order.
• Mukherjee is at present the general manager of United Bank of India and Ramaswami is the GM of Vijaya Bank.
• Mukherjee’s appointment is initially for three years but it is extendable by two years after a review of his performance, the order issued by the personal ministry.

6. National Conference on “Agriculture 2022- Doubling Farmers’ Income” in New Delhi.

•  The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has organized a National Conference under the title of “Agriculture 2022 – Doubling Farmers’ Income”.
• The main aim of the conference is to build a consensus around appropriate recommendations that will help in shaping and sharpening the vision of the Government on Doubling Farmers’ Income by 2022 into actionable points.
• Static Part: Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare- Radha Mohan Singh.

7. Mumbai to have India’s 1st Artificial Intelligence Centre.

• In a first in the country, the Maharashtra government will be setting up an institute for artificial intelligence (AI) in Mumbai.
• Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will unveil the plan for the institute during the Magnetic Maharashtra Summit and at the Global Economic Conference in Canada in March 2018.
• Static Part: Maharashtra has already become the first state to unveil a FinTech Policy|Maharashtra Governor- CV Rao.

8. Australian vice-captain Alex Blackwell retires from all forms of cricket.

• Australia’s most-capped female player and vice-captain Alex Blackwell has announced her retirement from international and state cricket.
• She became just the fourth female Australian to pass 5,000 runs when she batted in the Test, Twenty20 and One-Day arenas, compiling 5,250 runs.
• Static Part: Australia:- Prime minister: Malcolm Turnbull Trending|Capital: Canberra|Currency: Australian dollar.

9. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on a Two-Day Visit to Saudi Arabia.

• Finance Minister Arun Jaitley met Saudi King Salman and Saudi Minister of Trade & Investment Majid Al-Qassabi and discussed the ways to boost bilateral economic and trade cooperation.
• Mr. Jaitley arrived in Riyadh on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia. He will co-chair the 12th India-Saudi Arabia Joint Commission Meeting to be held in the Saudi capital Riyadh. Mr. Jaitley will also open the Saudi-Indian Business Council.
• Finance Minister will also visit India Pavillion at Saudi National Heritage and Cultural Festival Janadriyah.
• Static Part: Saudi Arabia:- Capital- Riyadh, Currency- Saudi Riyal.

10. Rahane, Rohit Sharma awarded Shiv Chhatrapati State Sports Awards by the Government of Maharashtra.

• Indian cricket team members Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma have both been awarded Shiv Chhatrapati State Sports Awards by the Government of Maharashtra.
• Former India cricketer and assistant coach of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Daredevils Pravin Amre was awarded Coach of the Year for the 2016-17.

11. Veteran Telugu actor-comedian Gundu Hanumantha Rao passes away.

• Well-known Telugu actor Gundu Hanumantha Rao passed away in Hyderabad. He was 61.
• He is known for his roles in Rajendrudu Gajendrudu, Mayalodu, Jodi No.1, Nenu Seetamahalakshmi, Kedi No.1, Apparao Driving School, Kalyanam, TV series called Amrutam etc.

12. Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Addresses Global Digital Health Partnership Summit, at Canberra, Australia.

• The Union Health Minister spoke on the topic: Making Digital Health Services a Priority in Healthcare Reform.
• Speaking about some of the initiatives of the Health Ministry, Shri Nadda said that India’s National Health Portal provides authentic information related to healthcare to citizens. He further said that NHP is functioning as Citizen Portal for Healthcare, providing health-related information to citizens and stakeholders in different Indian languages.
• Static Part: Australia:- Capital- Canberra, Currency- dollar.

13. “Milkbasket” Recognised as “Startup of the Year” 2017 at the 7th Small Business Awards held in New Delhi.

• Milkbasket, India’s first and largest micro-delivery platform has been recognized as “Startup of the Year” 2017.
• The startup of the year award is dedicated to young SMEs, aged 7 years or less, with great potential to become big in local and international markets.
• Static Part: Co-founder and CEO of Milkbasket- Anant Goel.

14. Roger Federer Wins Rotterdam Open for 97th Career Title in the Netherlands.

• Swiss professional tennis player Roger Federer celebrated his return to the top of the world rankings by winning the Rotterdam Open, in the Netherlands. It was his 97th career title.
• France doubles pair P. H. Herbert and N. Mahut won the Men’s Doubles Title.
• Static Part: Netherlands:-Capital- Amsterdam|President- Mark Rutte.

15. India to Host World Environment Day 2018.

• Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Erik Solheim, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Head of UN Environment, jointly announced that India will be hosting the global World Environment Day celebrations on 5 June 2018.
• World Environment Day is celebrated globally on June 5. The theme for World Environment 2018 is “Beat Plastic Pollution”.

16. World Day of Social Justice- 20 February.

• The World Day of Social Justice (WDSJ) is observed globally on 20th February.
• The theme for WDSJ 2018 is “Workers on the Move: the Quest for Social Justice”.
• Static Part: ILO:- Headquarters- Geneva, Switzerland|Director-General- Mr. Guy Ryders.

17. Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Palace Queen Hamsafar Express in Karnataka.

• PM Modi flagged off the Palace Queen Humsafar Express between Mysuru and Udaipur in Mysuru Railway Station.
• The train between Mysuru and Udaipur will act as a backbone of tourism, an employment generating industry. He also dedicated to the nation, the electrified Mysuru-Bengaluru Railway Line and announced two more infrastructure projects for the region.
• Static Part: 1. Karnataka:- CM- Siddaramaiah|Governor- Vajubhai Vala.
  2. Union Minister of Railways and Coal- Piyush Goyal.

18. The 71st British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs, were held on 18 February 2018 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, to honor the best national and foreign films of 2017.

• BAFTA Awards 2018: Full winners list:-

1. Best Film- “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”.
2. Outstanding British Film- “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”.
3. Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer- “I Am Not A Witch”.
4. Film Not In The English Language- “The Handmaiden”.
5. Documentary- “I Am Not Your Negro”.
6. Animated Film- “Coco”.
7. Director- “The Shape Of Water,” Guillermo Del Toro.
8. Original Screenplay- “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Martin Mcdonagh.
9. Leading Actress:-“Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”.
10. Leading Actor- Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”.
11. Supporting Actress-Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”.
12. Supporting Actor- Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”.
13. Original Music-“The Shape Of Water”.
14. EE Rising Star Award (voted for by the public)- Daniel Kaluuya.

19. Spiritual leader Aga Khan’s 11-Day Visit to India Begins.

• Mr. Shah Karim Al Hussaini, the Aga Khan, visited India on the invitation of the vice president.
• Sunder Nursery, a 90-acre park near Humayun’s Tomb in New Delhi, to be inaugurated by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu in the presence of the Aga Khan.
• During his previous visit in 2015, the Aga Khan was conferred Padma Vibhushan for his contributions to social development in India.
• Static Part: Aga Khan became Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims on 11 July 1957 at the age of 20. He is the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims.