VINTAGE

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 18^th, 2019

              IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 18^th, 2019

1.      The All India Cine Workers Association today announced a total ban on Pakistani actors and artists working in Indian film industry following the Pulwama attack.

a.       It added if any organisation still insists on working with Pakistani artists, it'll be banned and a strong action will be taken against it.

2.      Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation of Bihar's 1st metro in Patna. 

a.       The Patna Metro Rail Project will be built at an estimate of over ₹13,300 crore and will be completed in five years. 

b.       The metro rail, which will provide an alternate mode of conveyance to around 26.23 lakh people, will have two corridors.

3.      China is planning to build its 1st space-based solar power station.

a.       Orbiting 36,000 kilometres above ground, this station capture solar energy in orbit and beam it to the Earth.

b.       The beams would be converted into power through ground station.

4.      Iran has launched a new locally-made submarine capable of firing cruise missiles.  

a.       The submarine, named the Fateh (Persian for 'conqueror'), is Iran's first in the semi-heavy category.

b.       Speaking at the launch President Hassan Rouhani said Iran is now fully self-reliant on land, air and sea.

5.      In Chennai, a drainage-cleaning robot has been introduced for the first time at the city corporation as part of efforts to rid of manual scavenging. 

a.       The robot named Bandicoot has been introduced at a cost of 18 lakh ruppes. T

6.      India's 2nd-largest IT services firm Infosys announced the launch of 'InfyTQ', a digital platform to offer learning and engagement experiences to engineering students in the country.

a.       InfyTQ is a free platform open to all engineering students in their third and fourth years across India.

b.       This platform encourages holistic development by imparting technical as well as professional skills, helping them become industry-ready.

7.      The President of India Ram Nath Kovind, presented the Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony for the years 2014, 2015 and 2016. Here are the winners :

a.       2014 - Rajkumar Singhajit Singh (Exponent of Manipuri dance)

b.       2015 - Chhayanaut (a cultural organization of Bangladesh - for its role in the promotion of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s works and Bangla arts).

c.       2016 - Ram Vanji Sutar  (Renowned sculptor and scholar)

d.       About Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony :

o    Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony was instituted by the Indian Government from 2012 recognizing the contributions made by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore to humanity. 

o    It is awarded annually and carries an amount of One Crore rupees, a citation in a Scroll, a Plaque as well as an exquisite traditional handicraft or handloom item. 

8.      India became the largest buyer of Venezuelan crude oil in the first half of February, with imports jumping 66% to 620,000 barrels a day.

9.      World's No.1 boxer, Mary Kom has recently joined India's No.1 sports brand, PUMA as their Ambassador for women's performance category, signing a two-year deal. 

a.       She will be leading PUMA India's #DoYou conversation that recognizes the strength, grace and confidence of women across the country. 

10. Ahead of the parliamentary election, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has handed over his role as Foreign Minister to Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz, giving up the portfolio he had held since 2015. 

11. 39 year old West Indian batsman Chris Gayle has announced that he will retire from One-day Internationals after the forthcoming World Cup.

a.       The left-hander has scored 9,727 ODI runs, second only to the legendary Brian Lara among West Indians in 284 matches. 

b.       He needs 677 more runs to surpass Lara as the West Indies' all-time record ODI runscorer.

12. The Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) has removed photographs of Pakistani cricketers from various points inside the Mohali stadium to show solidarity with the families of martyrs of Pulwama terror attack. 

a.       The stadium had 15 photos of Pakistani cricketers including that of Pakistan PM Imran Khan. 

13. Myanmar clinched Hero Gold Cup women's international football tournament title by defeating Nepal at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.