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IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 12^th, 2019

              IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 12^th, 2019

1.      (12th February) is Darwin Day.

a.      This day is a celebration to commemorate the 210th birth anniversary of Charles Darwin (12 February 1809).

b.      Note : Charles Darwin is best known for his contributions to evolutionary theory.

2.     Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad Bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, will be visiting India on his 1st State visit during 19th - 20th February 2019. 

a.      During this visit, the Crown Prince will call on President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on wide range of issues of mutual interest. 

3.     US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing federal agencies to prioritize research and development in Artificial Intelligence (AI). 

a.      The plan, called the American AI Initiative, follows big investment pledges from China and other countries intended to advance and apply AI technology in fields ranging from warfighting to health care. 

b.      The order directs federal agencies to make government data and computing resources more available to AI experts while maintaining security and confidentiality. 

4.     The 7th annual World Government Summit is being held in Dubai (UAE). 

a.      The World Government Summit is a forum dedicated to shaping the future of governments. 

b.      The Summit is being attended by 4,000 decision-makers from 140 countries including heads of state, ministers and business leaders.Theme of World Government Summit 2019: The Year of Tolerance.

5.     The 1st LAWASIA Human Rights Conference was concluded in New Delhiw.

a.      This conference was organised by LAWASIA (a regional association of lawyers, judges, jurists and legal organisations, which advocates for the interests and concerns of the Asia Pacific legal profession) in association with the Bar Association of India. 

b.      Aim of this Conference : To provide a unique opportunity for lawyers and associated professional members to exchange insights and expertise on topics of significant importance to all.

c.      Theme of LAWASIA Human Rights Conference 2019 : “State Power, Business and Human Rights: Contemporary Challenges”. 

6.     President Ram Nath Kovind today unveiled the life size portrait of former Prime Minister  Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the Central Hall of Parliament. 

7.     To increase the financial and executive powers of the 10 Autonomous Councils in the Sixth Schedule areas of the northeastern region, the government has introduced the 125th Constitutional Amendment Bill in the Parliament.

a.      The amendment will impact one crore tribal people in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.

8.     Noted Indian historian Sanjay Subrahmanyam has won Israel's prestigious Dan David Prize 2019 for his work on inter-cultural encounters between Asians, Europeans and people of North and South America during the early modern era.

a.      He shares the USD 1 million award in this category with Prof Kenneth Pomeranz of University of Chicago.

b.      About Dan David Prize :

o    The international Dan David Prize is awarded annually to those who have made outstanding scientific, technological and humanistic accomplishments in fields representing the past, present and future of human achievement. 

9.     In a bid to fight marine pollution, India today signed a letter of intent with the Norwegian government establishing the India-Norway Marine Pollution Initiative.

10.To enable a fair and competitive environment in the e-Marketplace, Government e Marketplace (GeM) and Competition Commission of India (CCI) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding. 

11.Panama’s Copa Airlines SA has been crowned the most punctual airline of 2018 in a global survey conducted by UK-based data firm OAG Aviation Worldwide. 

a.      Top 5 in the List

i)      Copa Airlines (Panama)

ii)    Air Baltic (Latvia)

iii) Hong Kong Airlines (Hong Kong)

iv)  Hawaiian Airlines (US)

v)    Bangkok Airways (Thailand)

12.Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurated Cremica Food Park, which is the 1st mega food park of Himachal Pradesh.

a.      The Park is located at Village Singhain Una District of Himachal Pradesh. 

b.      The mega food park has been set up at a cost of Rs 107.34 crore.

13.India's largest telecom operator Vodafone Idea today appointed Suresh Vaswani, an IIT Kharagpur alumnus, as an Independent Director for three years. 

14.Australia's 4-highest wicket-taker in Tests, Nathan Lyon was named the Men's Test Player of the Year at the 2019 Australian Cricket Awards. 

a.      Glenn Maxwell won the Men's T20I Cricketer of the year Award.

b.      Marcus Stoinis won the ODI cricketer of the year Award.

c.      Pat Cummins who made his international debut in 2011, won the Allan Border Medal.

15.The Senior National Badminton Championship 2019 has begun today in Guwahati.

a.      The event which is being held in Guwahati after 9 years will see the participation of some of the top players including Saina Nehwal, P V Sindhu, Sameer Verma and P Kashyap among others.