Current Affairs - February 20, 2020 Current Affairs

German NBA star Dirk Nowitzki, who retired last year after a 21-year career in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to basketball.

The World Breakthrough of the Year went to Colombian 22-year-old cyclist Egan Bernal who became the youngest rider to win the Tour de France in his second attempt for the 110-year-old event. He was the first Colombian to win the world-famous cycling event.

Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has become free of single-use plastic usage. With this feat, GMR-led Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) became the first single-use plastic-free airport in India. The implementation of single-use plastic-free airport measures within IGI Airport's operations was certified by the Confederation of Indian Industry-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development (CII-ITC CESD).

Researchers at the Atomic Minerals Directorate has estimated lithium reserves of 14,100 tonnes in a patch of land surveyed in Mandya, Bengaluru. Lithium is a rare metal and is critical for manufacturing batteries for electric vehicles.

Kala Kumbh - Handicrafts Thematic Exhibition was held in various parts of the country through the Office of Development Commissioner (Handicrafts). The aim of the exhibition is to promote Geographical Indication (GI) crafts and heritage of India. The exhibition will be held from 14-23 February 2020 at Bengaluru and Mumbai.

South Africa's Rugby team has won the prestigious World Team of the Year award at the 2020 Laureus Awards in Berlin with the Academy stating that their "incredible Rugby World Cup triumph showed the unique power of sport to unite".

Britain began to clear up after Storm Dennis battered the country over the weekend, leading the government's weather agency to issue a rare "danger to life" warning amid widespread flooding and high winds.Hundreds of flood warnings remained in place, including five "severe" warnings around the River Teme in Worcestershire in western England, after more than a month's worth of rain fell in 48 hours in some parts of Britain.

The Tokyo 2020 organizing committee announced the motto for the year's Olympics. The motto for Olympics 2020 is "United by Emotion". The motto reflects the universal values and unifying power of sport. The 2020 Summer Olympics will be held from 24 July to 9 August at New National Stadium, Tokyo, Japan.

President Ram Nath Kovind laid the foundation stone and inaugurated various developmental projects of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu at a function.The President also inaugurated the Jampore Sea Front Road from Moti Daman Jetty to Jampore Beach and an Ayushman Bharat wellness center in Daman.

Government is planning to facilitate the doubling of Milk Processing capacity from 53.5 million MT to 108 million MT by 2025. In the last 5 years, milk production is growing to 6.4% in India. It has increased from 146.3 million MT in 2014-15 to 187.7 million MT in 2018-19.

The Government has announced that it is to rename the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) as "Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses". The move is to honour the commitment and legacy of late Manohar Parrikar. The institution will align the vision and aspiration of the premier defence Institute with the contribution of the former Defence Minister and Padma Bhushan awardee Manohar Parrikar.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) issued a licence for a reactor at its Barakah nuclear power plant on 17 February. The information was passed by Hamad al-Kaabi, the UAE representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The move is in line with the UAE's vision to build a peaceful nuclear energy programme to cater to the future needs of energy in the country.

Australia appointed former New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell as the next high commissioner to India. O'Farrell will succeed Harinder Sidhu. The announcement was made by the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne.

The Union Minister of External Affairs Dr. S Jaishankar to inaugurate Indian Pavilion at 70th Berlin International Film Festival. The festival will be held from 20 February to 1 March 2020 in Berlin, Germany. 70th Berlin International Film Festival: The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is participating at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival.

Secretary of Agriculture Farmers Welfare (FW) Sanjay Agarwal inaugurated the 4th National Conference on Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana in Udaipur, Rajasthan on 17 February. The conference was held from 17-18 February.The conference was aimed to create awareness at the grassroots about the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.

The German F3 driver Sophia Florsch won the World Comeback of the Year as she recovered from serious injuries caused by the crashing accident at Macau circuit and raced again in the Macau Grand Prix.

The 22nd edition of the world language database Ethnologue reported that Hindi is the 3rd most spoken language of the world in 2019.Ethnologue brought out a yearly database of living languages of the world since its establishment in 1951.

Union Minister of Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi chaired Chintan Shivir, a two-day brainstorming session at Kevadia in Gujarat on 17-18 February. The Minister announced that India will stop importing thermal coal from Financial Year 2023-24.

Oksana Masters wins 2020 Laureus Award. Two-time Paralympic champion Oksana Masters was one of the big winners of the 2020 Laureus World Sports Award during a star-studded ceremony in Berlin, Germany. The US Nordic skier and cyclist was named Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability.

The Soil Health Card Day is observed on 19 February. The day commemorates the day Soil Health Card Scheme which was launched on 19 February 2015 by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at Suratgarh, Rajasthan. The scheme aims to assess the nutrient status of every farm holding in India.