Current Affairs - February 21, 2018 Current Affairs

Roger Federer, a Swiss professional tennis player, has won the 2018 Rotterdam Open men's singles tennis tournament by defeating Grigor Dimitrov in the final by 6-2-6-2 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. It was his 97th career title. This was Federer's 3rd title in Rotterdam following successes in 2005 and 2012. In the Open era, only American Jimmy Connors has won more titles than Federer, with 109.

BSNL & Japan's NTT AT along with their Indian partner Virgo Corps, have signed an agreement to collaborate in developing futuristic technologies. The companies would collaborate in futuristic technologies such as artificial intelligence / IoT & jointly create a 5G test bed. Agreement is in line with the vision of PM Modi & Japanese PM Shinzo Abe to collaborate on next generation technologies.

Singapore will impose a 'carbon tax' from 2019 to cut its greenhouse gas emissions and make companies more competitive as global agreements on climate change take effect. Finance minister Heng Swee Keat stated that the tax would be levied on all facilities producing 25,000 tonnes or more of greenhouse gas emissions a year. The tax, to be applied to all sectors, will be Sg$5.0 ($3.8) per tonne of greenhouse gas emissions from 2019 to 2023.

The Delhi government announced the launch of "Mission Buniyaad" for improving learning skills of children studying in state and municipal-run schools. The announcement was made by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. Under the programme which will run from April to June for Class 3 to 5 in Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) schools and for Class 6 to 8 in government's schools, children will undergo a reading level assessment based on which they will be enrolled in specialized "Mission Buniyaad" classes.

International Mother Language Day is a world-wide annual observance held on February 21 to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and promote multilingualism. The theme of this year is 'linguistic diversity and multilingualism for sustainable development'. There are more than 7,000 languages in the world; India alone has about 22 officially recognised languages.

Star India, the official broadcaster for the Indian Premier League (IPL), has got the audio-visual production rights of the 11th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL-2018). The 2018 IPL will be held in Mumbai, Maharashtra from April 7 to May 27. The announcement was made on February 19 when the BCCI opened the bids for the audio-visual production rights for the IPL and the 2018-19 domestic cricket season.

Kerala government has made vaccination compulsory for school admissions from next academic year onwards. Parents will have to show details of shots given to children at the time of enrolment in schools. The move comes in the wake of stiff opposition from certain communities against the vaccination drive.

Vice Admiral R B Pandit, Flag-Officer-Commanding, Western Fleet at Mumbai, took charge as the Commandant of Indian Naval Academy (INA) at Ezhimala in Kannur district, Kerala. Vice Admiral R B Pandit succeeds Vice Admiral S V Bhokare. Vice-Admiral Pandit is the sixth Commandant of INA. He has specialised in Anti Submarine Warfare. He has commanded INS Nirghat, INS Vindhyagiri, INS Jalashwa and the 22nd Missile Vessel Squadron at Mumbai. Earlier he was the Naval Adviser at the High Commission of India at Islamabad, Pakistan. He has held positions like ACNS (Foreign Cooperation and Intelligence) at IHQ MoD (Navy) - Integrated Headquarters of Ministry of Defence (Navy) and Chief of Staff, Southern Naval Command.

The Union Government has constituted a committee headed by Rajiv Kumar, the Vice Chairman of the NITI Aayog, to study the Brahmaputra and flood control measures in Assam and neighboring states .

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has been recognized as one of world's best employers by the Top Employer Institute for the third consecutive year. TCS has been selected among 1,300 companies in 113 countries all over the world. It has been recognized by Top Employer Institute for its excellent employee offerings. TCS has received the Top Employers Global certification. It has received the latest Top Employer endorsement for 27 of its individual country teams in Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, Latin America and the Middle East. The Top Employer rankings are done based on nine factors: talent strategy, workforce planning, on-boarding, learning & development, performance management, leadership development, career & succession management, compensation & benefits and company culture.

According to a report by United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), India has ranked 12th among 52 lower middle-income countries in terms of neonatal mortality rate. Neonatal Mortality Rate in India is 25.4/1000 live births. With nearly 640000 newborn deaths each year, India accounts for a quarter of the global burden of neonatal deaths of 2.6 million babies. Neonatal Mortality Rate in India is 25.4/1000 live births. With nearly 640000 newborn deaths each year, India accounts for a quarter of the global burden of neonatal deaths of 2.6 million babies. 57% of neonatal deaths in India occur in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. As these states account for 46% of all births, it can be inferred that States with the highest birth rates have higher newborn deaths.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 2-Day long UP Investors Summit in Lucknow. The mega event has been organized by the Uttar Pradesh government. It is aimed at showcasing investment opportunities and potential across various sectors in Uttar Pradesh. According to the UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, 900 MoUs have already been finalized ahead of the Summit. Representatives from Mauritius, Japan, the Netherlands, Finland, Czech Republic, Thailand and Slovakia will also participate in the event. Uttar Pradesh government has formulated industrial policy to attract investment after reviewing policies of various states.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri has won the best film award at the 71st British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England on February 18, 2018. The movie was directed by Martin McDonagh. The movie is about a woman seeking justice for her daughter's murder.

The National conference on"Agriculture 2022- Doubling Farmers' Income" has started at National Agriculture Science Complex (NASC) in New Delhi on February 19, 2018. It is organized by the Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW). The 2-day conference is organized with a view to identifying various critical issues relating to agriculture and farmers' welfare and finding appropriate solutions. The main aim of the conference is to build a consensus around appropriate recommendations that will help in shaping the vision of the government. The participants of conference comprising farmers, farmers' associations, scientists, economists, trade industry, NGOs and policymakers. In the Budget 2018, the government has proposed fixing of the minimum support price of Kharif crops at least 1.5 times over the cost of production.

Shoaib Akhtar has been named the advisor to the chairman on cricket affairs and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) brand ambassador. Shoaib Akhtar is 42 years old. He is a former Pakistan fast bowler. He made his cricket debut in 1997. He has played 46 Tests, 163 ODIs and 15 T20 Internationals. He has taken 444 wickets throughout his career. He was the first bowler to cross the 100 mph mark. He retired from international cricket after the 2011 World Cup.