Daily Current Affairs – February 17,18 2019
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NATIONAL
Bihar
SAIL’s steel processing unit inaugurated
- In Bihar, Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh inaugurated SAIL’s steel processing unit at Bettia in West Champaran district. At present, Steel Authority of lndia Ltd (SAIL) manufactures steel pipes at the unit. One tube mill became operational on January 31, 2019, the second will become operational by February 28, 2019.
Himachal Pradesh
Sanskrit as the second official language of the state
- The Himachal Pradesh Assembly passed a Bill to make Sanskrit the second official language of the state.
New Delhi
Emergency Response Support System to be launched for women safety
- Home Minister Rajnath Singh will launch Emergency Response Support System (ERSS) in 16 states and Union territories for women safety from New Delhi.
- The states include Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir.
- Persons in distress can dial a pan-India number : 112.
- Under this system, all the states have to set up a dedicated Emergency Response Centre (ERC). A citizen may Press power button on a smart phone thrice quickly to activate a panic call to ERC.
- The service has already been launched in Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
Tamil Nadu
A drainage-cleaning robot introduced
- 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. The robot named Bandicoot has been introduced at a cost of 18 lakh rupees. Drainage cleaning could be detected by viewing the blockages on the screen. The robot could be taken to any place in the corporation area.
INTERNATIONAL
Iran launches new locally-made submarine
- Iran has launched a new locally-made submarine capable of firing cruise missiles. Fateh, Persian for ‘conqueror’, is Iran’s first in the semi-heavy category.
Yemen’s government, Houthi rebels agree on mutual pullback of forces
- Yemen’s government and Houthi rebels have agreed on phase one of a mutual pullback of forces from the key city of Hodeidah. UN officials said, the deal on the first phase has been finalised and they have agreed in principle for the second phase.
Afghanistan lodges strong complaint with UNSC against Pakistan
- Afghanistan has lodged a strong complaint with the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) against Pakistan for its engagement with the Taliban.
UAE funded US military hospital to be built in Abu Dhabi
- A US military hospital funded by the United Arab Emirates will be built in Abu Dhabi to treat Emirati soldiers and regionally based American troops. The US has a number of military bases across the Gulf – the largest in Qatar with about ten thousand troops.
- The UAE is a key regional ally of the United States and maintains close ties with the adminstration of President Donald Trump.
Coordination to facilitate peace settlement in Syria
- Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron have agreed to continue coordination of the two countries in order to facilitate the peace settlement in Syria.
SCIENCE
Wayanad sanctuary yields a new spider
- A new species of spider has been discovered from the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, a major biodiversity hotspot in the State. The new species, Cocalus lacinia, spotted in the Kurichiad forest range of the sanctuary, is taxonomically related to an Australian species, described by arachnologist Fred Wanless in 1981.
Scientists discover massive mountains under Earth’s crust
- Scientists have discovered massive mountains in the Earth’s mantle. They found the topography on a layer located 660 km below the surface
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
India raises customs duty to 200 pc on all goods imported from Pakistan
- India has raised the basic customs duty to 200 per cent on all goods imported from Pakistan with immediate effect following withdrawal the Most Favoured Nation, MFN status in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack.
- The main items which Pakistan exports to India include fresh fruits, cement, petroleum products, bulk minerals and ores and finished leather.
FPIs pour Rs 5,300 cr into equities
- Foreign investors have put in over 5,300 crore rupees into the Indian equity market in the first half of this month.
About 16 crore people consuming alcohol in country
- Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawarchand Gehlot has said that about 16 crore people are consuming alcohol in the country by a survey which was conducted by his Ministry in collaboration with the National Drug Dependence Treatment Centre of AIIMS. The states with high prevalence of dependent pattern of alcohol use disorders are Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Chattisgarh and Arunachal Pradesh.
RANKINGS & INDEXES
ICC Test Batsmen rankings
- 1) Virat Kohli 2) Kane Williamson 3) Chesteshwar Pujara
ICC Test Bowlers rankings
- 1) Pat Cummins 2) Kagiso Rabada
ICC Test All rounders rankings
- 1) Jason Holder 2) Shakib-Al Hasan 3) Ravindra Jadeja
SUMMITS & CONFERENCES
4th Agri Leadership Summit
- President Ram Nath Kovind has praised the farmers of Haryana for adopting new methods to manage stubble and crop residue. He was addressing the closing ceremony of the 4th Agri Leadership Summit organised by the Haryana government.
MOU, AGREEMENTS & CABINET APPROVALS
MoU between India and Argentina
- India and Argentina signed ten MoUs in several areas, including Defence, Civil nuclear, Tourism, pharmaceuticals and agriculture. An MOU on Cooperation and Collaboration between Prasar Bharti and the Federal System of Media and Public Contents of Argentina were also inked.
DEFENCE
Aero India 2019
- Unmanned aerial vehicles or drones, unmanned aircraft systems and balloons have been banned in Bengaluru for security reasons during the five-day Aero India show.
CRPF to add more security features to its convoy movement
- The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has decided to add new security features to its convoy movement in Jammu and Kashmir making its passage more safe and secured.
SPORTS
Chris Gayle announces retirement from One-day Internationals
- West Indian batsman Chris Gayle has announced that he will retire from One-day Internationals after the forthcoming World Cup.
Irani Cup Cricket
- Ranji champions Vidarbha beat Rest of India in Nagpur yesterday to retain the Irani Cup. Vidarbha has now become the third team after Mumbai and Karnataka to clinch two Irani Cup titles in a row.
Qatar Open Tennis
- Belgium’s Elise Mertens has claimed the biggest title of her career by beating top seed Simona Halep 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 to win the Qatar Open.
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