Latest Current Affairs – February 17 & 18 2018
- Asha Bhosle honoured with Yash Chopra Memorial Award
Legendary singer Asha Bhosle has received the fifth Yash Chopra Memorial Award.
Bhosle was honoured here last night by yesteryear diva Rekha and the actor credited the legendary singer and Chopra for making her a big star in Hindi film industry.
The previous recipients of the award are Lata Mangeshkar, megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, and superstar Shah Rukh Khan.
- Shoaib Akhtar named brand ambassador of Pak Cricket Board
Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar was named the brand ambassador of the Pakistan Cricket Board and was also appointed as advisor to chairman on cricket affairs.
He represented Pakistan in 46 Tests, 163 ODIs and 15 T20Is picking 444 wickets in international cricket (178 in Tests, 247 in ODIs and 19 in T20Is).
- Filmfare award for ‘Bishorjon’, ‘Mayurakshi’ as Best films
Bengali film ‘Bishorjon’ was adjudged the ‘Best Film’ in popular category and its director Kaushik Ganguly got the ‘Best Director’ crown in the Jio Filmfare Awards East 2018.
Prosenjit Chatterjee received the Best Actor in a Leading Role (Male) for ‘Mayurakshi’ (popular) while Soumitra Chatterjee was given the Critics’ Award for Best Actor (Male) in the same film.
- Rajasthan to get international educational institution for minorities
Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has to set up an international educational institution for minorities in Rajasthan’s Alwar city as part of the Centre’s ambitious plan to set up five such institutes across the country.
The plan for building these institutes was initially prepared in 2016 and an 11-member committee was formed under former bureaucrat Afzal Amanullah to oversee it.
- Khajuraho Dance Festival to begin from February 20
Myriad forms of classical dance in India will be on dispaly at a festival beginning in Khajuraho from February 20.
The week-long Khajuraho Dance Festival at the temple town in Chhatarpur district is being organised by the culture department of the Madhya Pradesh government.
- Kejriwal inaugurates water pipeline project in Narela
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has inaugurated the Delhi Jal Board’s (DJB) project of laying a water pipeline in Narela resettlement colonies which is likely to benefit 1.2 lakh residents.
The project will add 12 resettlement colonies of the Narela assembly constituency to the supply network.
The board, with its limited raw water resources, has brought about tremendous improvement in its water management resulting in an improvement in the water supply in many colonies and villages through the water distribution network.
- Skill development centre set up at gems & jewellery institute
The Gem Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) has opened a development centre to train students in latest technology and upgrade skills of artisans who are already part of the industry.
The ‘Skill Development Centre’ has come up at the Indian Institute of Gems and Jewellery (IIGJ) in suburban Andheri in Mumbai.
- ICRISAT to set up soil fertility development centre in Karaikal
Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy has stated that the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) will soon be setting up a soil fertility development centre at Karaikal.
Puducherry Government would be entering into a MoU with ICRISAT, an international organisation engaged in agricultural research for rural development with headquarters at Hyderabad, next month.
The centre will carry out detailed study of the soil condition in Karaikal region and offer suggestions to farmers to improve fertility.
- Niti Aayog offers Odisha to select districts for TAD scheme
The Niti Aayog today suggested that Odisha government could select districts for inclusion in a central scheme for better development of the tribal dominated and backward region of the state.
Besides Kerala and West Bengal, Odisha is the third opposition ruled states which opted out of the Centre’s Transformation of Aspirational Districts (TAD) scheme.
The Centre has launched the TAD scheme for rapid transformation of districts that are lagging on specific development parameters.
- Rupani inaugurates Air Odisha’s first flight under UDAN scheme
Air Odisha has launched its maiden flight under the Centre’s UDAN scheme, linking Mundra with Ahmedabad in Gujarat. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani launched the inaugural flight of the Bhubaneswar-based airline.
Air Odisha, which started services as a non-scheduled operator in November 2012, was granted the flying permit by the DGCA to launch flights under the Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN), the Centre’s regional connectivity scheme (RCS).
- SBI launches Global NRI Center to enhance customer experience
The State Bank of India (SBI) has launched its Global NRI (GNC) center, a one-stop customer service solution for all NRI banking related services, in Kochi.
Leveraging its strong NRI customer base of over 33 lakh as on January 31, the bank, through its GNC aims to centralize operations which are currently spread across 16 circles, 92 NRI branches in 66 different locations and several NRI intensive branches.
The GNC will be a single point of contact for SBI branches, customers, relationship managers, representative offices and foreign offices.
- India, Iran sign 9 agreements during bilateral talks
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held “substantive” talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to boost cooperation in key areas of security, trade and energy, after which the two sides inked nine pacts, including one on double taxation avoidance.
Apart from tax pact, the two sides also exchanged instrument to ratify the extradition treaty as well as to simplify visa process.
- Indonesia inks $1.1 bn deal with Russia to buy 11 jets
Indonesia has inked a billion-dollar deal to buy 11 Sukhoi Su-35 jets from Russia. The contract, signed by both countries representatives in Jakarta, is worth a total $1.14 billion.
The EU and US have targeted Russia with sanctions for alleged meddling in the US presidential election and its annexation of Crimea.
- Manavaditya Rathore wins silver shotgun meet
Manavaditya Singh Rathore has won a silver medal in the Qatar Open Shotgun meet in Lusail, Qatar.
Participating in the junior men’s trap event, Manavaditya shot 118 to finish second on the podium behind Italy’s Angelo Scalzone, who shot 119.
Germany’s Jeremy Schulz won the bronze medal with a score of 115.
- Brjesh Damani wins CCI All India Open Snooker Championship
Indian Oil’s Brijesh Damani haswon the Rs 12.25 lakh prize-money CCI All India Open Snooker Championship here after he defeated ONGC’s Sourav Kothari by a stunning 7-1 margin in a one-sided best-of-13 frame final.
Damani went home richer by Rs two lakh and received the CCI Snooker Trophy, and a fine crystal trophy, while Kothari received Rs 1.30 lakh.
- Roger Federer Becomes Oldest World No 1 in Tennis, Defeats Dutch Opponent Robin Haase
Twenty-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer has become the oldest world number one after he defeated his Dutch opponent Robin Haase at Rotterdam’s ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament.
The Swiss great secured his spot in the history books and the last four of the tournament with a 4-6 6-1 6-1 victory against Haase
The 36-year-old became the oldest No. 1 male player, surpassing eight-time Grand Slam winner Andre Agassi, who holds the record at 33 years since September 2003.
